How to make a beehive for bees on your own: what assembly schemes exist? Do-it-yourself hive: how to make a quality "house" for bees without mistakes Drawings and dimensions of bee hives.

Wild bees can find and equip a home for themselves in the first hollow they come across. Their cultivated counterparts are more demanding on the place of residence, so for them you will have to build a comfortable hive in which they will not only live, but also work for your benefit. Spending a small amount on materials and a couple of days of work, you will get a reliable home that will more than pay off in the first season.

hive types

You can’t just take a couple of boards and build a beehive with your own hands without a drawing, after all, this is not a doghouse. First you must decide on the type. There are only two of them, and they will become the basis for further modifications, so to speak, the basic models. We are talking about horizontal and vertical hives. The first is popularly called a sunbed, and the second is a riser. Both have both pros and cons, so it's impossible to say with certainty which design is better.

The vertical model can have two or three tiers, each of which can hold about ten frames. It is possible to increase the capacity by installing additional stores or buildings.

frame detail dimensions
frame manufacturing steps. 1-4

The horizontal model in its shape resembles an elongated box. You can increase the initial volume due to new cases that are mounted on the side.

We build a beehive with our own hands according to the drawings

Before starting construction, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail. Do not forget that bees are very delicate and demanding on the conditions of detention. They cannot stand drafts and sudden temperature changes, so their home should be well insulated. It is also worth considering the possibility of further expansion. Beekeeping is a very exciting process, so it is unlikely that you will limit yourself to one beehive.

The design of the bee house should provide its inhabitants with protection from heat in summer, and from cold in winter. For this, the possibility of additional insulation on the sides and on the ceiling should be provided.

drawing - do-it-yourself double-hull hive
drawing - a typical beehive lounger

blueprints
shop with frames

To build a hive with your own hands according to the drawings, you will need to purchase materials. First of all, these are, of course, boards. They should be well dried, and it is better if it is softwood. Boards should not have knots and roughness, so they are polished before starting work.

Basic dimensions

We offer universal sizes that are suitable for hives of any type and design. They assume a distance between the mediastinums of adjacent frames of 37.5 mm, and passages for bees - 12.5 mm. When installing an additional housing, the distance between the lower strips and the nesting frames must be 10 mm. The gap from the rear and front walls to the frames is 7.5 mm, and between the bottom and the bottom plate of the nest frame is 20 mm.

rice beehive manufacturing steps (1-4)
hive manufacturing steps pic 5-8

hive manufacturing steps fig 9-14
manufacturing

The roof can be made of a board, 20 mm wide, or a double layer of plywood. The important part is the harness. Its size is 455x455 mm, and it is made from a board with a width of 15 mm. Planks are attached around the perimeter of the strapping, the task of which is to prevent the lid from slipping. To protect against atmospheric phenomena, all parts are covered with oil.

The bottom is made in the form of a simple frame. Its size is adjusted to the size of the hive. Some models provide for a removable bottom, but in this design there is poor tightness.

horizontal hive type
vertical type

The walls are made of boards, the width of which is 20 mm. In addition to nails, for greater strength, it is desirable to connect them with tongues.

An important component the bee house is the diaphragm. It separates the nest from the rest of the space. For it, 10 mm plywood is used, along the perimeter of which the sides are fixed. The diaphragm should be easy to remove and secure. Other wood is used for the frames. The ideal option there will be birch or aspen. The approximate amount of material can be calculated using a do-it-yourself hive drawing.

As mentioned earlier, you are unlikely to limit yourself to one hive. Beekeeping is a very exciting activity, so in the next model you can make your own adjustments based on personal experience.

3 years ago

New!!! Router lift in this table: Part 1 - https://youtu.be/RA4-75ijmWg Part 2 - https://youtu.be/GHqP4Wceu08 April 2015. Continued topic: table for Bosch 1400 ACE hand router. This time I finally made a cabinet for milling table- cabinet, frame, table base, whatever ..) The most important thing is that the milling table is now independent and does not need workbenches or something else. I didn’t bother with the pedestal and essentially made a frame, but quite durable and stable for working on a milling table. In the future, you can make walls out of plywood, make shelves. But this is still in question, because how is it possible that I will make a system for lifting the router (cutter over the surface of the table) using a car jack (as many have already done), for this I will need full access under the table top, from all sides of the cabinet. So for now, it's just a framework. I also made a switch with a socket for my milling table and now it has become very convenient to use, and at the same time I didn’t have to cut the plug at the device, because. it will be needed more than once as a manual router 🙂 I made a bracket for fixing the table in a raised position in order to adjust the reach with both hands or, in fact, to replace the cutter itself. It's not over yet. There will be videos about clamps for the milling table, guides, side carriage and I don’t even know what yet ... The topic is rich 😉 First part: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CiOU66Sers Second part: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF7BVRbK4hE THANK YOU FOR WATCHING AND SUBSCRIBE!!! http://maximkozlov.ru

PHOTO HIVES KALINKA LLC

Good day, dear visitors!

This section of our website is a photo gallery where you can see photos of the entire range of Kalinka LLC hives “without embellishment”, that is, photos are posted here without any processing, so that each of you, even without being able to come and look at the hives “live”, however, could see the product “as it is”. We have nothing to hide, so we hope you enjoy our photo tour.

Below are photos of Dadan-Blatt hives. We produce them in two types: for 10 frames and for 12. You can install as many cases as you need. Convenient recesses are made on the sides of the hulls in order to make it easier to remove them. On each hull, entrance barriers for 4 functions are installed on the entrances.

Do-it-yourself beehive

They are included in the basic package of hives. In one of the photos, there are canvases on the hive, which can also be bought from us at the enterprise.

Here is a retractable anti-varroatous bottom with a special mesh can be installed on any of the hives. It is not included in the basic package of hives, but is installed at the request of the buyer. On the site in the article "Antivarroatous bottom" you can see a video that tells about its structure and how and for what it is used.

Photo of the hives of Kalinka LLP at the agro-industrial exhibition-fair.

If you are interested in our products, you can always call and place an order. The beehives of Kalinka LLP can be purchased not only in branded stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also be ordered to any city in Russia with delivery to the apiary.

PS: If you need a small number of hives, then in order to reduce delivery costs, you can team up with other beekeepers from neighboring apiaries and make a single order, then the delivery cost is about 200-300 rubles per hive.

Interesting on the topic:

Benefits of Kalinka LLP hives (video)

Prices for hives and beekeeping equipment

Hive-lounger. How to build it with your own hands

A bee hive is an artificially made housing for bees. For a long time, bees lived on tree branches, in crowns, hollows, in rock crevices, in pits and stumps, under the roofs of houses. Later, people began to tame honey plants, sitting them in non-separable hives - sapets, hollows. Well, now bee colonies live in frame hives, which you can buy in a special store or make yourself if you have the time, desire and necessary tools.

Today we will devote our article to how to make a bee hive? This question is asked by all beginner beekeepers. First you need to take a closer look at this design in order to understand what you have to deal with. Nowadays, the hives of Dadan Blat and Langstroth-ruth are the most common with some modifications and changes. Beekeepers have heard of another name - the Alpine hive or Roger Delon's hive in another way (with a reduced frame). There are other bee houses - Lapunov and Ozerov with an enlarged frame, hives with glass, and some still use old decks.

Any hive consists of the following parts:

Frame- hive walls. The cases are different in size, in the hives there is one case or several, depending on the type of construction. Each body with inside has parallel grooves for frame hangers. In some types of hives, the grooves for the frames are placed in a different way, but they are difficult to make on your own. In addition to the grooves, the body may have tapholes. If the hive has a removable bottom, then the notch is made above the middle, round, with a diameter of 25 to 35 mm. If the bottom is nailed to the lower body, then a slotted notch is made with a width of 100 mm and a length of 10-20 mm. All these indicators depend on what kind of hive is made and what the beekeeper wants to make.

Bottom- there is an inseparable and detachable. It is better to create hives with the last type of bottom, because in this case it will be easier to take care of the bees: you can quickly clean the nest, it is easy to work with the bodies without touching the frames (this is an important part of many methods), and if necessary, carry out the necessary treatment of bee colonies. The integral bottom is simply nailed to the bottom of the body so that it protrudes slightly from the front edges - the formed ledge serves as a landing area for the bees.

The shops- these are hive bodies shortened in height.

We make a beehive for bees with our own hands

They are an optional part of the design and are used to store honey during honey collection to facilitate the work of the beekeeper. In addition, they are very convenient to use in weak families that do not collect large stocks of honey.

liner- this is a store, but without recesses for frames. It is placed between the upper body and the roof. It helps to improve the living conditions of bees during migration, you can put a feeder in it or place insulating material. Some beekeepers put it under the lower body, thereby creating a space under the frame, which has a beneficial effect on the microclimate of the nest during wintering.

Roof- made from strapping (sometimes beekeepers make ventilation holes) and a flat shield (plywood, boards). Top with a thin sheet of iron. It is put on the body (liner, magazine) in a quarter or in a hood.

Framework- we will talk about them a little later. One has only to say that there are frames different sizes, depending on the type of hive.

Drawings for hives

All frame hives are similar in design, but vary in size. The dimensions of the hive primarily depend on the number of frames that will be used in this hive, their size. The size of the bee house also depends on the thickness of the walls. As a rule, for hives with a frame of 300, a board 40 wide is used, with a frame of 230 - 30. According to GOST, the recommended board thickness per frame is 300 - 37 mm, since wood is processed from standard 40 mm to 37. There are designs with double walls, and others drawings with different sizes enough. It happens because the regions of growing bees are different, they have different conditions, and each beekeeper has his own opinion on the care of families, which he adheres to. So it is difficult to name any specific sizes.

To remember from the whole mass of information about drawings for hives, you need the following:

  1. the width of the hive directly depends on the number of frames and is equal to the number of frames multiplied by 37.5 mm;
  2. the length of the hive directly depends on the length of the frame itself (from the left side bar to the right, including the dimensions of the bars themselves). It is equal to "frame length plus 14 mm";
  3. the height of the hive is determined by the formula "the height of the folds plus the height of the frame."

Everything else in the construction of hives is done at the request of the beekeeper. Of course, each species has its own drawings and rules. Consider, for example, the fairly well-known structure "beehive-lounger". This bee house is a frame horizontal hive. It resembles an elongated box with a nailed bottom and a removable roof. During the period of family growth, frames are added to the side of this structure in which the uterus lays eggs. This hive has stores that are used during honey collection. The lounger allows you to keep next to the main family and a backup, with a spare queen. The hive-lounger for 16 and 20 frames has become widespread. The dimensions of the house with 16 frames are 615x450x330 mm. A 35 mm bottom shield protrudes beyond the front wall. The extension is constructed with a height of 165 mm, the wall thickness is the same as that of the walls of the body, there are also 16 frames in it. The dimensions of the hive lounger for 20 frames are 810x450x330. If you think that this type of bee house suits you, then we present you a drawing of a lounger hive, which shows all its most common sizes:

How to make hive frames

And now it’s worth talking about the frames, or rather about their manufacture, because if you made the hive yourself, then you will make the frames very quickly. The hive frame is considered one of the most important elements in a bee home. Her standard sizes for a two-hull hive - 435x300 mm. They need to be made from linden, as it does not crack when the structure is hammered together. But this material has one drawback - it absorbs moisture and increases in weight. For this reason, experienced beekeepers advise making frames from spruce wood, the main condition is that it should not be resinous.

When creating a frame, it is worth making sure that there is a distance of no more than 9 mm between the bottom and the lower bars of the frames. Such a passage for bees is the most optimal. If it is larger, then insects will begin to build it up. Between the wall of the hive and the side bar should be from 8 to 10 mm. If the distance is less, then the bees will fill it with propolis, if more, they will build up honeycombs. If all dimensions are met exactly, then it will be easy to get the frames.

For more information about creating a frame, see the video below:

I would like to note that in the created bee house it is necessary to maintain conditions that are most optimal for the bees in your region. The hive is not just a dwelling or a means of production. It's all together - both a house and a beekeeping factory that supplies some of the most useful products in the world.

Hive device for bees

Every beekeeper knows that wild bees live in natural hives: a hollow tree, under a roof, etc. But if you decide to engage in beekeeping, then you will need to make a lot of effort in order to equip bee housing. The arrangement of a beehive for bees begins with the collection useful information about the types of hives, the materials that are necessary for construction, from approximate drawings.

Hive device for bees

What types are hives?

Before you start building a beehive, you need to understand what kind of design you want to get as a result. The point is that today practical views considered are:

  1. The hive is horizontal. The beekeeper can expand it by setting up additional buildings.
  2. The vertical hive is a 2-3-tier structure, on each tier of which there are about 10 frames. You can expand the vertical structure by adding new tiers.

Also, the hives are conditionally divided by the types of frames, because the frames are the main element of the whole structure. Depending on the width and height, they are square, narrow-high or, conversely, low-wide.

What material is best to make a hive?

The material for the hive is a very important topic. The bees may simply not like their house, and the beekeeper will be forced to redo it.

There are a huge number of products on the market today various materials, but not all of them are suitable for the hive

Wood is a win-win. It is better to purchase coniferous wood, such as pine, spruce, fir, etc. Before working, make sure that there is no rot or mold on the wood. Note that the tree has one minus, it is high humidity inside the hive.

To equip a bee house, choose boards 5 mm larger than required by the design. They will shrink in size as you grind. The boards need to be carefully planed so that there are no chips, roughness, protruding chips on them.

Plywood is another great option. It is an environmentally friendly material that is durable. Beekeepers say that plywood, in its characteristics, surpasses even wood in terms of thermal insulation.

To make a beehive from plywood, it is necessary to cover its outer walls with a layer of acrylic varnish, and put polystyrene foam inside the house. By the way, hives are also made from the latter, which are characterized by fragility and fragility.

It is possible to make such a plywood hive only according to the drawing, it will become optimal for the comfortable life of insects.

Polycarbonate is a hard plastic that cannot be affected by climatic conditions. Differs in stability, durability, does not suffer from decay, a fungus, well washes.

Polyurethane foam can act as a heater, which does not rot and is not covered with a fungus, mice do not gnaw it.

Do-it-yourself hive: video, drawings, sizes of frames and hives

Its main disadvantage is combustibility, and when insulating the hive with polyurethane foam, be sure to design a small ventilation system.

Bee hive device

The hive consists of the following elements fastened into a single structure:

  • bottom (wood or mesh) and ceiling, front, rear and side walls;
  • liner, insulating pillow, canvas;
  • planks and linings for them, folds;
  • gable roof and roof trim;
  • ventilation hole;
  • notch, arrival board, nesting frame;
  • waste tray or tray;
  • glass for observing bees and a board that closes the glass if necessary.

How the hive works: dimensions and additional details

Proper sizing is fundamental to building the right hive. The beekeeper involved in the construction must observe the dimensions with great accuracy. We provide universal sizes for all hives that you can use as a basis:

  • The distance between adjacent frames is 3.75 cm.
  • Streets subject to a honeycomb thickness of 25 cm - 1.25 cm.
  • During the installation of the second case or additional store, a gap of 1 cm is made between the upper bars and the lower bars.
  • The space between the front and rear walls and the side rails should be 0.75 cm.
  • The space between the bottom bar and the bottom is 2 cm.

Deviation from dimensions is allowed within 0.1 cm. If there is a large discrepancy with the dimensions, other structural elements will have to be adjusted, and the hive will no longer be composed of equivalent parts that you can replace in the future.

How to assemble a hive: instructions

So, all the elements are ready, and the drawings are drawn. It's time to collect the hive. Start assembly by preparing four walls, machined and cut in accordance with the drawing. One of the front walls is connected to two side walls, after which the last wall is fixed. After that, the side frames are attached to the side panels of the hive, then the wood or mesh floor is attached. And on the front wall you need to cut a notch.

The design is knocked together, set on the floor and a pillow with a canvas is reported, covering everything with a lid. Cushion and canvas needed for control temperature regime. The bottom of the hive is best made of galvanized material, it should be removable, which will facilitate the transportation of the hives. And for the manufacture of frames, choose a good, but not resinous tree.

Do not forget about the feeder, which is most often made from nomadic netting. IN winter time year at low temperatures, the hives are heated by electrical appliances with a power of not more than 10 watts.

Summing up, it is worth saying that independent production hives requires great attention and strict adherence to the drawing. It must be remembered that the hive must be comfortable for insects in all respects: not hot and not cold, without chemical odors that some synthetic materials emit, with a normal ventilation system.

http://medovoemesto.ru

The honey bee spends a lot of energy on repulsing the attacks of enemies, but it is not always possible to repel the attack. In this case, the enemy, a red tick of the species Verroa, clung to the thoracic region of the drone.

  • KEY FACTS
  • Name: honey bee (Apis mellifera)
  • Range: Europe, Western Asia and Africa; in other regions of Asia, as well as in America and Australia, it is distributed by humans.
  • Number in a typical hive: 10,000 to 60,000 worker bees; uterus; at certain times of the year a small number of drones and young queens.
  • Stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, adult.
  • Lifespan: 21 days of development from egg to adult; In summer, the worker bee lives for about 30 days.

The bee colony has a strict social organization, in which all the work in the hive, such as building honeycombs for the queen's eggs and food storage, or collecting nectar, is done by worker bees.

There are about 20,000 species of bees, but only about 800 of them are truly social (eusocial). Striking details of the organization of their community (family) can be learned by observing the life of a honey bee, or domestic bee (Apis mellifera).

History of bees

The honey bee is an evolutionarily successful social insect that originally lived in Europe, Africa, and Western Asia. Wild honey bees make their nests in natural cavities and shelters: hollows of old trees, depressions in the ground or rock crevices. Man provides them with artificial housing - beehives.

When nesting in a natural cavity, honey bees build double-sided sheets of wax from wax that are attached to the ceiling of the cavity. The hexagonal cells that form the honeycomb are made from wax secreted by the glands located on the abdomen of the bee.

A queen checking a cell before placing one of the 2,000 eggs she lays in a day. The sex of the future bee depends on which egg the queen has laid.

The distance between adjacent sheets of combs (the so-called "bee space") is usually from 6 to 9 mm - quite enough for the movement of bees on their surface. Beekeepers try to recreate similar conditions in the hive by installing removable frames in it, the distance between which is also equal to the bee space. The base of the honeycombs is attached to the frame, on which the bees build cells.

Breeding

Honeybees use cells of honeycombs for two purposes: as containers for storing food (honey and plant pollen) and for breeding offspring (brood). In nature, bees tend to fill the honeycomb cells in a certain order. Cells with eggs are located in the center and at the bottom of the combs, and honey is stored in the upper and side cells. Cells with pollen are located between cells with eggs and honey. In the hive, however, the combs in the lower boxes contain mostly brood, while the upper boxes contain only honey and pollen. This distribution of the contents of the cells is due to the fact that the lower and upper sections of the hive are separated by a wire mesh, called the queen limiter. Its cells are large enough to allow the worker bee to pass through, but too small for the queen to pass through. As a result, the queen is confined to the lower section of the hive, where she lays her eggs, and the beekeeper can remove the top boxes of honey-filled combs without disturbing the queen. In hives, honey bees live in the same highly organized community as in nature. Most of the bees are worker bees, females with underdeveloped genitals, in some hives there are up to 60-80 thousand of them. The uterus is also a female, but with fully formed genitals. Its sole function is to lay eggs, all worker bees come from eggs laid by a single queen. In spring and summer, the queen also lays a small number of eggs, from which males, called drones, emerge. The drones don't work, and they don't have the sting that the worker bees use to protect the hive from enemies. Their only purpose is to mate with the queens, after which they die.

Queen's life

The queen of honey bees lives for about 5 years, during this time from spring to autumn she lays about 2000 eggs every day. When a colony of wild honey bees grows too large in spring, it divides into two parts (swarming). At the same time, the queen leaves the nest and flies away with about 70 percent of the worker bees.

When the weather permits, the worker bee can move up to 11 km from the hive every day in search of nectar and pollen. This work is usually done by older bees, whose life is already coming to an end.

The worker bees left in the nest grow a new queen, after which the colony begins to grow very quickly. However, bees bred in hives do not create swarms. With an increase in their number, beekeepers add additional sections to the hives, thereby reducing the overcrowding of the hive.

Unlike the queen, worker bees live for about 30 days in summer and up to 6 months in winter. The worker bee develops in a closed cell in 21 days, passing through three stages: egg (about three days), larva (about seven days) and pupa (11 days). On the last day of development, the bee, with the help of its mandibles, destroys the wax cover that closed the cell, and immediately begins to work. According to her age, she performs various tasks. A young bee spends almost all the time in the hive: first, it cleans the cells of the combs, then takes care of the offspring, feeds the queen, and builds or repairs the cells.

Somewhat later, she moves closer to the exit from the hive and works as a food acceptor, taking nectar and pollen from foraging bees returning to the hive, or becomes a guard bee, protecting the hive from strangers. Finally, at the last stage of her life, she becomes a forager, flying away in search of water, nectar and pollen at a distance of up to 11 km from the hive. Guarding the hive and foraging for food are the most dangerous jobs, so they are performed by "elderly" bees approaching the end of their lives.

Honey bee worker bees dipping their heads into honeycomb cells. Their name speaks of their functions in the family. They do all the work both inside and outside the hive: rearing the young, collecting nectar and pollen, cleaning and protecting the hive.

Labor and conflicts

Life in the hive is well organized, with each individual primarily taking care of the family.

In good weather, forager bees fly away from the hive for water, nectar and pollen. If they find a nectar-rich patch of untouched flowers, they take the nectar and return to the hive without delay to report the find to their female relatives remaining in the hive and thus increase the number of foragers in that rich patch. If you have the opportunity to observe the surface of the combs, for example, through the glass wall of the research hive, then you can see how the returned bee, surrounded by "spectators", moves up and down the combs, describing the eight, the so-called. "wagging dance". This dance, one of the most complex shapes communication in the animal world, the bee informs the audience about the direction in which the rich source of food is located, and about the distance to it. Such information is especially important when the stocks of poverty in the family are small.

Beehives in Bavaria (Germany). When such a structure overflows with bees, the beekeeper adds additional sections, thereby preventing the swarm from flying out.

Gatherers can learn about a decrease in food supplies. The "unloading" by the receiving bees of the pickers returning from distant feeders does not take much time. Conversely, if the assembler must long time to expect the help of the receivers, this indicates the simultaneous return of many collectors with a large amount of nectar, i.e., an increase in food supplies. In spring and summer, any food that is not consumed immediately is stored in honeycombs. It will be needed in winter or when bad weather will not allow you to collect nectar. Over time, the nectar stored in the comb turns into honey.

Pheromones

Another well-known example of the collective action of bees is the defense of the hive. Whenever a threat arises, guard bees release alarm substances or pheromones, catching which, the defenders gather at the entrance, and each tries to hit the enemy. This is undoubtedly selfless behavior, because, having stinged the enemy, the bee loses its sting and dies. The poison found on the sting of the bee also contains an alarm pheromone that attracts new defenders to the battlefield and stimulates them to attack the enemy.

Worker bees on honeycombs with a queen cell. In the initial period of life, worker bees spend a lot of time caring for the queen and feeding her, as well as building new and repairing old cells.

However, cooperation does not always occur in perfect harmony in a honey bee hive. It is often believed that only the queen can lay eggs in honey bees, but this is not true. Although worker bees cannot mate, they retain a functioning ovary and can lay unfertilized eggs that develop into males. Why do they raise the mother's offspring, and not their own? Ironically, it is not the queen that prevents the worker bees from reproducing; all other worker bees do this.

This moment in the life of the bee colony is called the "working police", it consists in eating by the bees any eggs of their sisters they find. The bees can easily determine which eggs to destroy because the queen marks the eggs she lays with her pheromone.

Do-it-yourself hive for bees: how to make, drawings

Such cannibalism is practiced due to the fact that all the worker bees of the hive have one mother, but during the mating flight she mates with about 30 drones, i.e. the bees have quite a few fathers. This means that any bee is genetically closer to its siblings produced by the queen than to any "nephew" developed from the egg of another worker bee. As a result, each bee prevents the others from breeding and cooperates with them in caring for the queen's offspring. By doing this, honey bees ensure that as many of their own genes as possible are passed on to the next generation of the family.

  • Did you know?
  • Before starting to lay eggs, the honey bee queen goes on a nuptial flight, and then stores about 5 million spermatozoa, using them all her life. Each time, laying an egg, the uterus determines the sex and type of the future bee. If a worker bee is to develop from an egg, the queen fertilizes it with one of the spermatozoa stored in her body and lays it in a normal-sized cell. If a drone should develop from an egg, the egg is not fertilized and is deposited in a cell bigger size. The eggs from which new queens are to form are fertilized and look exactly like the eggs from which worker bees develop, but they are laid in special cells - queen cells, shaped like an acorn, and the larva is fed a special food called royal jelly for the entire period of its development.
  • The expression “to work like a bee” is connected with our idea that bees are tireless workers, carrying honey to the hive “tirelessly”. This view is erroneous: each bee rests, remaining on the comb, 80% of the working day.
  • To survive the winter months, a honey bee colony needs to stock up on 20 kg of honey.

A good hive must meet the following requirements:

1. The hive should be warm and well protect the bees from sudden changes in temperature, from rain and dampness. In summer, the walls of the hive should not get very warm. If the hive is single-walled - up to its thickness of -30 mm. Double-walled hives - the space between the walls is clogged with moss - cuckoo flax.

2. The hive should be spacious enough to accommodate the brood of a good queen, as well as storing honey and bee bread in it. At the same time, it should be arranged in such a way that, depending on the season, its volume could be increased or decreased, ventilation could be regulated.

In winter, the nest is smaller, the number of frames is reduced. The remaining space should not be empty, it should be filled with insulating pillows and separated by a special diaphragm.

3. The hive should be convenient for work, easily and freely disassembled into its component parts and reassembled, so that during inspections it does not press and does not disturb the bees much.

4. All parts of each hive should be exactly the same in size. This will facilitate the setting up of shops, the rearrangement of frames (or cases), the relocation of families and a number of other works.

Framework the same size give the beekeeper the opportunity to: 1) if necessary, rearrange the frame from one hive to another; 2) apply the same methods of caring for bees in all families; 3) have beekeeping equipment designed for a frame of a certain standard. The same hives in the apiary will simplify the care of bees and reduce labor and time costs.

6. Hives should have in their design special devices for combating ticks. This is either a removable bottom or a special grid with a pallet.

In Russia, the most common hives of the following designs:
1) single-hull hive or Dadan-Blatt hive, consisting of a bottom, a nest box containing 12 frames, a width of 435 mm and height in 300 mm, one or two stores accommodating 12 frames half the height; often use two buildings with shops;
2) hive-lounger, consisting of one large body, accommodating 16,20 or 24 frames are also sized 435×300 mm (often frames are made in 300 mm wide and 435 mm high - Ukrainian lounger);
3) multi-hull hive, consisting of three to five interchangeable housings of the same size, on 8-10 frames, size 435×230 mm.

Components of the hive

The hive should consist of one or more buildings, a magazine, a roof lining, ceiling boards (or canvas), a bottom, an insert board (diaphragm), a landing board, a stand and nest and magazine frames.

Framework subdivided into nesting and shop. In typical hives, nesting and magazine frames have standard sizes and differ from each other only in height. The height of the nesting frames of single-hull, double-hull hives and sunbeds is -300 mm, magazine frames -145 mm. The height of the frames of multi-hull hives is 230 mm.

The width of the upper bars and lower bars of the frame is 25 mm, the thickness of the side bars is 8 mm, and the bottom bars are 10 mm. The thickness of the upper bar is 20-22 mm. The side bars of the nesting frames in the upper part are expanded to 37 mm, which ensures the normal size of the street and good stability of the frames when transporting bee colonies.


The width of the frame is determined by the following circumstances: the length of the comb is 12 mm, equal to the length of the worker bee. 1 mm - wax thickness.

How to make a Dadan hive with your own hands

12+1+12=25 .

Frame- the main part of the hive, where the nest of bees is located. Hives with two or more bodies are common. The body has the form of a box without a bottom and a roof, in the upper edge of the front and rear walls of which a fold is selected for hanging the nesting frames. In addition to the frames, the body of many hive designs includes diaphragms and a hive partition. On the front wall of the case in its upper part is made notch for entry and exit of bees. In shape, it can be round or in the form of a slit.

If the frames in the hive are placed perpendicular to the entrance - cold drift, if parallel - warm drift.

Bottom hulls, depending on the design, can be nailed to the hull or detachable. It consists of a shield knocked down from boards and a strapping of beams. The front bar has a slot - a lower notch 20 mm high, which is regulated by special liners. At the lower entrance to the front bar of the bottom strapping is attached arrival board for bees.

Roof worn over the body or magazine extension and protects the nest of bees from rain, heat and cold, enemies and pests. The roofs of most typical hives are flat in construction.

liner designed to accommodate the feeder and create a free space above the frame.

Magazine or magazine extension. In height, it is usually half the height of the buildings. The magazine extension fits magazine frames. It is used to increase the volume of the nest, mainly during honey collection. Depending on the size of the honey collection, one or more extensions are placed on the hive.

Shop extensions) are closed from above with a solid ceiling or boards up to 10 mm thick. Often used for this purpose canvases made of loose fabric (burlap).

Diaphragm(separating board). It consists of an upper bar, two side bars and a shield (thin board) fixed between them, 15 mm thick. In height and length, the diaphragm must correspond to the internal dimensions of the housing. D diaphragms necessary to reduce and insulate the nest.

Hive dimensions

In the hives of all systems, the following mandatory dimensions of the "hive rule" are observed: the angles must be strictly 90 0 (from dry wood - fir, aspen); the overframe space (the distance between the top plank and the ceiling planks) should be 10 mm; subframe space (distance between the bottom and the bottom bar of the frame) - 15-20 mm; side space(distance between the side bars of the frame and the front in relation to the notch and the back walls of the hive) - 7.5-8mm; distance between frames - 12 mm; the distance between the central axes of the frames of neighboring cells is 37-38 mm. If there are several bodies in the hive, then the gap between the upper and lower frames should be 10 mm. If it is less, they will cover it with propolis, more - with honeycombs.

How the hives are calculated (standard 12 frame hive)

12+25/2+25/2=37
+0.5 for propolis = 37.5
12 - frame hive 37.5*12=450

When examining and working with bees, the beekeeper needs: a net to protect the face from bee attacks, a smoker, a beekeeper's chisel (for tearing off the frames), a brush for sweeping bees, a box for tools and rotten, a box for transferring honeycombs, a swarm (closed sieve), feeders for feeding bees, pillows for warming the hive - top and side (stuffed with moss); cages for queens (Titova non-metallic), a dividing grid for isolating the uterus (Hoffmann), a board-pattern for waxing honeycombs, a knife for cutting zabrus (lids on sealed combs), a honey extractor (due to centrifugal force - sealed honeycombs with honey are first printed using a special beekeeping knife, then inserted into the honey extractor and rotated), wax melter (metal pan).


Device 12-frame hive with two magazines (dimensions in mm):

  1. body, 2 - nest frame (cross section), 3 diaphragm, 4 - magazine, 5 - magazine frame (cross section), 6 - liner, 7 - roof, 8 - upper entrance, 9 lower entrance


Section of the hive body:

  1. - frame, 2 - over-frame space -10 mm; 3 - between the frame and the back of the hive 7.5 -8 mm; 4 - bottom of the hive, 5 - subframe space 15-20 mm; 6- between the frame and the front wall of the hive - 8 mm.


Nesting frame (dimensions in mm)


Types of hives: a - single-hull 12-frame with a magazine;
b - two-hull.


Hive-lounger


Multi-hull (four-hull) hive

After the decision to breed bees is made, it is necessary to acquire several families and take care of their housing. The swarm is growing rapidly and as a result, new houses are needed. You can buy them, or you can make your own. Before starting work, you need to know all the subtleties of how to make a beehive for bees yourself. There are a lot of hive types and each has its pros and cons. Before you make a hive with your own hands, the drawings are initially carefully studied.

hive types

Making hives with your own hands is not a difficult task. Before you begin, you need to understand that the evidence differs in size, design and material.
By design, the hive is divided into:

  • collapsible;
  • non-separable.

Today, non-separable hives have become less popular. Most beekeepers use handmade frame evidence for bees.
Frame houses are divided into:

  • vertical;
  • horizontal.

Horizontal or lounger, is a single-hull structure with a possible increase in different directions. These clues are suitable for inexperienced beekeepers due to their ease of use. There is one drawback - they are large and heavy. The vertical structure consists of several buildings. Plus, it's lightweight and easy to move around.
These two forms have more than one section, they are separated by a partition, which allows you to change the volume in different directions.

The most famous designs

Dadanovsky hive

One of the popular designs that is installed in many apiaries. Received its love because of its ease of use and spaciousness. It can be made with your own hands from wood, and it consists of 12 frames, which can be supplemented if desired. During the summer period and after an increase in the family, the hive can be enlarged with the help of additional buildings.

Alpine

A multi-hull hive built in the likeness of a hollow. Received great popularity due to the similarity with the natural living conditions of wild bees.

This structure is ideal for places with limited space. It has no partitions and holes for ventilation. Fresh air enters the inside of the hive through the notch.

Ruta

This dwelling is suitable for honey plants living in warm regions, because due to regular rearrangements of the buildings, the thermal effect inside the dwelling is disturbed. Ruta contains 6 cases of 10 frames.

Cassette

These hives have become popular due to the emergence of new bee diseases. This design has thin partitions, in connection with this, the swarm creates a microclimate for itself.

Important! Built from natural material are impregnated with wax.

Ideal solution for inexperienced beekeepers. It can be quickly made by hand. They consist of 20 frames and insulated side walls, so honey plants survive the winter cold very well. Ukrainian lounger is easy to maintain.

Beehive

The hive is thin-walled, the wall thickness is 20 mm. Suitable for warm climate regions. The house has a lot of advantages - the buildings are light, easy to build with your own hands, very practical.

How to make evidence with your own hands step by step

The principle of operation for all types is the same. Before you make a bee hive with your own hands, you need to know the exact dimensions. 20 frame horizontal bee hive, step by step instructions:

  1. We cut parts from a board four cm wide. These parts will serve as the front and back walls of the hive. Lateral, cut out from a board three cm long.
  2. We assemble the structure so that all walls except the front one are in contact with the bottom, and the front one rises from the bottom by one and a half cm. This distance will serve as an entrance from below in the future. The corners are joined in a quarter and fastened with nails.
  3. We make the floor from a board 3.5 cm thick. The bottom should look like a shield.
  4. Ceilings are built from boards: L-47.8 cm, thickness - 1 cm.
  5. We construct a roof. It can be made flat, single-sided or double-sided. This is the only part that can be upholstered with a metal sheet.
  6. For the northern regions, the lounger must be insulated on both sides.

Do-it-yourself hive-bed for 20 frames

The sunbed consists of a bottom, a roof and walls. The frame is built from shields. Dimensions of the front part: 87x37. The height of the back wall is 87x34. The length of the side shields is 44x49 cm. The size of the bottom: 84x54.5, thickness 3.5 cm.
You can make bee evidence with your own hands from:

  • plywood;
  • polystyrene;

Simplicity in construction, with your own hands, is that the foam is inexpensive and reliable. Building from this material is simple and profitable. Before you build a beehive for bees with your own hands, you need to know the dimensions. The size of the future hive can be very diverse, it depends on the number of frames that will be there. To find out the width, you need to multiply the number of frames by 3.75. The length is calculated: the length of the frame plus 1.4. The height is calculated: add the height of the frame to the height of the folds.

Step-by-step instruction:

  1. Initially, you should decide on the size and start construction in stages.
  2. We put stencils of the future house on the foam sheet.
  3. We cut out future walls and clean the corners with sandpaper.
  4. To fasten all the details, cut out the quarters and use nails and self-tapping screws to connect.
  5. The bottom is made of galvanized sheet.
  6. The roof must be flat or pitched. After fastening the roof, it is weighted.
  7. Lettki perform standard.

After the construction of the hive is completed, it is necessary to make frames. They consist of: top, bottom and side bars. It is made from dried, natural material.
Dimensions according to GOST:

  • top and side - B-2.5 cm
  • top rail - H-2 cm;
  • lower rail - B - from 1.5 to 2.5 cm;
  • H - 1 cm;
  • dimensions depend on the type of hive, dimensions according to GOST - 43.5x30.
    (H-height; B-width; L-length)

frame scheme

Frame

The central part of the hive is a four-walled box. It has a bee nest. As the bee family increases, the bodies can be pointed at each other. According to the number of buildings, houses are divided into: single, double-hull and multi-hull (from 3 or more). The wall thickness should be 35 mm. This size will help the swarm to overwinter well. The number of frames in the case can be from 16 to 24.

The parts prepared for the body are connected with nails or PVA glue. A cut is made in the lower part of the front wall: B-4cm, H-1cm. This slot will serve as an entrance and exit for the swarm. Also, at the bottom of the case, a hole is drilled for ventilation. The made case is treated on the outside with a water-repellent material and painted white.

Important! On the case, it is necessary to make notches on the sides, 7mm below the top of the case. They will serve as handles for easy transportation from place to place.

Roof

The roof is made from a board 2 cm thick. From the prepared boards we make a structure in the form of a shield and, to prevent the board from rotting, we cover it with a tin sheet.

Important! When building a hive, a tin sheet is used only to cover the roof, it is not used for wall cladding.

Most beekeepers place a mesh on top of the hive for extra ventilation when transporting bee houses. It is also necessary to isolate the swarm from the outside world.

Bottom

For regions with a cold climate, the bottom is made of two layers of boards with insulating backfill. In the southern regions, insulation is not required, therefore, it is made from a single board.

The bottom is made of bars. Three side bars have standard dimensions - 57x6.5x3.5. The bars that will be installed in the back are 44.5x6.5x3.5. In each bar, at a distance of 2 cm from the top edge, it is necessary to make puzzles. After all the details are cut out, we proceed to assemble the parts of the structure. The bottom should be assembled with the letter "P". Grooves are needed to install the floor. The arrival board is made from a 5 cm protruding beam, the front bottom beam.
The bottom, for convenience, should be removable and double-sided.

1. Left side wall. 2. Front top bar. 3. Arrival board (notch valve). 4. Inclined board arranged in a notch. 5. Front lower block of the entrance hole. 6. Bar for fixing the bottom mesh. 7. Grid. 8. Middle bar of the back wall. 9. Lower bar of the back wall. 10. Upper bar of the back wall. 11. Flooring bottom. 12. Letkovy insert.

Sample Toolkit

Before you start making a hive, you need to prepare the following tools:

  • wooden hammer;
  • awl;
  • wire;
  • pliers;
  • nails and screws;
  • measuring tape;
  • perforator, welding machine and Bulgarian;
  • board 32x18, 12 mm plywood;
  • insulation;
  • a metal sheet;
  • PVA, paint, brushes.

Blueprints

Drawings are more convenient to use ready-made.

Due to the large number of frames and housings, it will be difficult for a beginner beekeeper to make a multi-hull hive.

This type of hive is a large, long box. The floor and roof fit snugly into the structure itself. Drawings of the manufactured structure:

When designing a multi-hull house, you must follow a few rules:

  1. The bottom can be made by anyone. The removable bottom makes it much easier to care for insects.
  2. It is better to make the roof of the hive flat, for more convenient transportation.
  3. Frames should be with side bars and have side bars.
  4. For a family of bees, you need to make a feeder from a nomadic mesh.
  5. The roof is assembled after the assembly of the entire structure and after the stage of insulation.
    The house should be warm, comfortable and airtight. Otherwise, the swarm will get sick, will not endure the winter cold and will not bear honey well.

Video

Having decided to become a beekeeper and having decided on the breed of bees, you need to take care of creating comfortable living conditions for insects. Families grow, swarm, and after a while they will have to be planted in new nests. Of course, you can buy ready-made structures, but they are not cheap, and buying used is fraught with infection of the entire swarm. There is only one way out - to make a house yourself. How to make a hive for bees, will tell the article.

Before you make a hive for bees yourself, you need to decide on its type. Beekeeping has been practiced since ancient times. It is not surprising that today there are many different types hives.

Conventionally, all nests are divided into:

  1. Vertical (beds). They are characterized by an increased top due to extensions. The most common option is the Dadan hive and a multi-hull house.
  2. Horizontal (risers). Frame extension is carried out parallel to the surface. These include loungers made of 24 frames and Ukrainian designs with perpendicular frames.

Among all the varieties, the most popular are multi-building structures, houses for 12, 10 frames and sun loungers.
The price depends on the design features, the size of the nest, the material of manufacture. On average, a finished hive costs about 2000-4000 rubles, and without frames. In addition to it, the beekeeper will also have to purchase a wax melter and a honey extractor. Therefore, homemade beehives for bees are a more profitable option for an apiary.

Exist various systems hives. Such structures are manufactured according to standard projects. Each standard bee hive project is developed by design institutes and is designed to keep a bee swarm in different climatic zones.

There are such types of hives:

  • Single hull with removable bottom and 2 extensions.
  • Bed with extension for 16 frames.
  • Double hull with detachable bottom.
  • Single body with 2 magazine extensions.
  • Bed with extension for 20 frames.
  • Multihull.
  • Double hull with 2 extensions.

What is the hive made of?

In order to make a nest for a bee family with your own hands, you need to figure out what the beehive consists of, what assembly schemes exist. Structurally, the house consists of a body, a bottom, a lid, frames and magazine extensions.

The body is the main element. It contains frames for honeycombs. Outwardly, it looks quite simple: a box without a bottom and top, equipped with special frame holders. On the front wall there is a notch - a hole in the hive for bees through which they fly in and out. The shape can be slit-like or rounded. The size is adjustable with inserts. Close the notch with a valve.

The bottom of the body is covered with a bottom. It is tightly attached and removable. A magazine extension is designed to install half frames. It is about half below the body of the hive. Often used during the mass collection of honey. Sometimes several stores are placed on the body.

Frames are divided into nested and sectional. The former are used to build honeycombs by bees. The latter are used to obtain honeycomb.

In the nest there should be intra-hive drinkers for bees and feeders. The feeder is designed for and in the fall, for the treatment of sugar syrup. There are intrahive and top feeders.

The shape of the hives are square, low-wide and narrow-high. In principle, the arrangement of a beehive for bees is quite simple, so everyone can make a nest for a swarm. Moreover, today there are many ready-made schemes and drawings according to which hives are created. You can find them on the Internet, they are freely available. To do this, you need to enter the appropriate phrase into the search, for example, “10 frame hives for bees - a drawing”, and a lot of resources with diagrams will appear before your eyes.

What materials are suitable for making hives?

Hives are made from different materials: wood, plywood, polyurethane, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam.

Each of them has its positive and negative points. Let's consider them in more detail.

Wood

Classic nests are wooden. Insects like this material very much, because it brings them closer to natural habitat conditions. Linden - this is the tree from which beehives for bees are most often made. Aspen will do. The smell of hardwood is pleasant and honey produced in such a house will not have specific features. The advantage is that moisture will not accumulate in the structure. The only drawback of a wooden nest is that it needs to be insulated for the winter.

Recently, coniferous trees have often been used for beehives. For example, spruce, pine, fir. They are distinguished by high rates of heat saving and are cheaper than hardwood. Among the shortcomings can be called the accumulation of moisture in the house and the fact that honey acquires a specific smell of needles.

Plywood

This material is characterized by environmental friendliness and durability. Plywood construction, coated acrylic paint and insulated with expanded polystyrene, is several times superior to wood in some respects. But such a house has poor moisture resistance and needs constant care.

polyurethane foam

The main advantage of houses made of polyurethane foam (PPU) is lightness. The house turns out to be very warm and the bees in it develop faster. There are many advantages to keeping bees in PU hives. Honeycombs in such a house are reliably protected from moths. There is no need to fold dry.

Styrofoam

This is one of modern materials for the production of hives. Has a low cost. A house made of expanded polystyrene does not need insulation. Among the shortcomings can be called the fragility and fragility of the structure. Wood and plywood are more reliable in this regard. If the quality of the material is low, the quality of the honey also deteriorates.

What are the dimensions of the bee nest?

To build a good quality house for a family of honey workers, it is necessary to correctly calculate the size of the construction details. The size of the hives for bees depends on the size of the colony and the type of structure.

But there are universal values ​​that apply to all types of bee nests:

  1. The distance between the mediastinums of 2 frames, which are adjacent, is 3.75 cm.
  2. The diameter of the street is 1.25 cm.
  3. The distance between the bottom and the bottom bar of the frame is 2 cm.
  4. When installing an additional housing, the distance between the lower bars of the magazine frames and the upper bars of the nesting frames should be 1 cm.
  5. The distance between the rear and front walls of the nest and the side bars of the frames is 0.75 cm.

How to make a Dadanovsky hive?

The Dadant hive holds 10 to 12 frames. Frames can be bought ready-made. It is possible to make frames for bees with your own hands. The nesting body is created in the shape of a cube, coniferous wood is usually used, willow and linden are also suitable. All parts are produced according to the recommended dimensions and drawings. The cracks are sealed with putty.

First you need to carefully process the tree. Then cut out the grooves that connect the walls of the cases. Planks are made with a size of 1.8x0.4 cm. Adhesives are used to connect the boards into 1 shield. All parts are assembled together with nails and glue. When the hive is ready, it is painted. After drilling tapholes and small holes for ventilation.

How to paint a hive?

Craft a beehive finished scheme easy, but with painting often there are difficulties. Many beekeepers are wondering what paint is better to paint a beehive for bees and what color.

Painting gives the structure reliability, protects it from moisture, rot, prevents the wood from drying out, and also makes the house look more attractive.

Color matching

Let's consider what color to paint beehives for bees recommended by experienced beekeepers. In fact, insects do not distinguish colors. Therefore, so that they can calculate their home, the hive must be painted in different shades. Blue, white, cyan and yellow colors will make the nest brighter and more visible.

Some beekeepers do not paint the hives at all, believing that the honey workers will be able to overwinter anyway. This is wrong, because wood is subject to the negative influence of the environment. Moisture, seeping through the cracks, causes mold and rot, and this harms insects.

Paint selection

Consider what paint to paint beehives for bees is best. Usually use either oil or acrylic. The first one is preferable, because it is characterized by fast drying, does not emit an unpleasant odor after drying. The composition is ideal for outside structures.

Acrylic paint is characterized by immunity to ultraviolet radiation, it is applied easily. Does not interfere with ventilation, it can be washed. Brightness lasts up to 10 years.

Thinking about how to paint beehives for bees, you can choose silver paint. Apply it to the roof of the house and to the back wall. This protects the building from overheating.

How is winter preparation going?

In early autumn, the hives begin to prepare for winter. It is important to properly insulate the house. in a multi-hull hive, it is somewhat more difficult than in other types of houses. The procedure requires taking into account a number of features. All 4 walls need to be insulated.

Weak colonies are transferred to the winter hut for bees, in which the insects live until the onset of spring. They erect such a structure from local building materials. Reed slabs, plates, adobe, limestone, slabs are suitable. All materials must be treated with antiseptic agents.

Buildings made of adobe are the best option because they maintain normal humidity and temperature throughout the winter. Cement blocks should not be used. This material is cold.


The temperature in the room should be from 0 to +3 degrees.
It is advisable to install electric heating with automatic thermoregulation. If a temperature regulator is used for bees in winter, the temperature should be set at the level of the entrance not higher than +6 degrees. Humidity should be 75-85%.

Beekeeping is the most important branch of agriculture different countries. The value of beekeeping is determined not only by the most valuable products obtained from the apiary, but also by the role of honey bees in the cross-pollination of plants and, as a result, increasing the yield of various crops.

The work of a beekeeper is hard work, requiring year-round attention and care from the beekeeper. First of all, high-quality hives for bees are important, which must meet certain criteria. When choosing a house, the climatic and honey collection conditions of the region are taken into account, but there are a number of conditions that any of them must meet. So, what are the types, how to assemble beehives for bees with your own hands and how to properly place them in the apiary - you will find all this in our article.

General requirements for bee houses

Regardless of the design, each bee hive (a house where one or more families live) must meet fairly stringent conditions:

  • dryness at any time of the year and with any amount of precipitation;
  • high-quality thermal insulation, due to which a comfortable temperature is maintained inside in winter;
  • good ventilation;
  • space and potential to expand as the family grows;
  • relatively small mass of the structure;
  • the quality of the finishes - a wooden house, painted and puttied, has been serving for at least 15 years.

A house for bees of any design must also comply with certain dimensions:

  • between the wall and the side bars of the frames - at least 8 mm;
  • between the centrals of adjacent frames - 38 mm;
  • frame thickness - 25 mm.

As practice shows, it is more convenient to use beehives with magazine extensions in apiaries - they are lighter than nest boxes.

Wooden parts that are used to make beehives are harvested from aspen, linden or pine. The maximum humidity is 15%. There should be no gaps and fallen knots. If this is found, the holes are puttied.

Slots in the houses are unacceptable - heat will escape through them and, accordingly, the consumption of honey will increase. To compensate for energy, the family will have to take more feed.

Since you need to build a hive accurately and correctly, this will allow you to combine their individual parts with each other. If we are talking about how to build a beehive for bees with our own hands, then the walls of the cases are assembled from 2-3 boards using the tongue-and-groove method and glued with additional waterproof non-toxic glue.

The outer side is treated with drying oil and painted in 2 layers of blue, yellow or white paint. The roof is made from stainless steel sheet.

The design (components) of hives for bee colonies

Since making a beehive for bees on your own is quite troublesome, let's decide on its main components:

  • frame;
  • shop extensions;
  • liner;
  • ceiling boards;
  • roof;
  • arrival board;
  • insert board (diaphragm);
  • nesting / magazine frames.

The magazine frame is easier to get rid of the combs, it is easier to print the combs in them and, accordingly, pump out the honey.

  • Frame

Outwardly, this is a box knocked together from boards. Depending on the size and type of the hive, where there are more than 10 nesting or about 20 shop frames, since they are smaller in size. The latter are fixed by the shoulders on the fold.

On the front side, a notch is made through which insects get inside. In some buildings there are 2 tapholes - upper and lower, in others - one at a time, in the third (multi-building) there are also several, each of which serves for a particular family.

They are knocked together from 3-4 boards or one flat. Can be retractable or stationary. A ledge is made so that you can fasten the loops for the arrival.

For fixing, loops are used so that this board can be removed at any time. Remove it for the winter so that rodents do not get inside, or for the duration of the move for convenience. Needed by bees for departure and landing.

  • Shop extension

The finished sample, which is needed to artificially increase the bee colony. As a rule, standard frames are smaller than nested frames, but the same in width and height. If the evidence for the bees is a typical size, the magazine frames are fully consistent with them.

Used to fix the ceiling insulation, resulting in a warm hive. It can also be used to separate a family in order to form layers with a fetal uterus.

  • Ceiling

Ceiling trim - bar as thick as the body. The bottom of the board is 20mm. Then a reflector. Then - styrofoam 20mm

A standard piece that is assembled from individual planks or made from solid wood. The temperature inside depends on the thickness and integrity.

  • Roof

Need hives to protect from rain and snow, wind and debris. The shape can be different - single or multi-slope, sloping, acute-angled, etc.

For high-quality ventilation, ventilation holes or small cuts are made in the sidewalls through which air will flow.

Used to reduce the space inside the house for different purposes. So, in case of a sharp cold snap, insulation (polyurethane foam, moss, etc.) can be placed behind such boards. In a multi-hive hive, the insert board is usually smaller than that of a sunbed and other examples.

The diaphragm shield is made from a board 45x32 cm, length - 47.2 cm, width - 2 cm. It is assembled from boards 1.4 cm thick, which are assembled by ¼.

For the most snug fit, the ends are pasted over rubber seal, usually used to insulate entrance doors.

Required for the formation of honeycomb workers. Consists of the following elements:

  • upper and lower straps (shoulders are made on the top for fixing on the fold);
  • 2 dividing bars.

The standard size is 43.5x30 cm. In a lounger - 30x43.5 cm, in a multi-shell, on the contrary, 43.5x30 cm.

Between themselves, the sizes of the frames differ according to the type of hives:

  • in a lounger - 30x43.5 cm;
  • multi-case - 43.5x23 cm.

To assemble the frames, standard nails 3 cm Ø 1.4 mm are used.

  • sectional frame

It is used to obtain honey in small quantities, for which it is divided into sections 11x11 cm in size. Such sectional frames are made from chips 45x35x0.2 cm, after which they are placed in the store. On average, 380-400 grams of honey is removed from one section.

Case types

In total, the following types are distinguished:

  • multi-hull;
  • two-hull for 24 frames;
  • single-hull with two shops;
  • sunbed for 20 frames;
  • lounger for 16 nesting frames;
  • lounger for 16 magazine frames.

In this article we will tell you how to make bee hives for 20 frames and multi-hull. These are the most popular types that can be found in most apiaries in Russia. Immediately note that the dimensions of the hives are standard.

Multihull (TP No. 808 5 1)

It consists of 4 buildings, each of which can accommodate 10 nesting frames measuring 43.5x23 cm. This is a prototype of a stationary and nomadic modern bee hive.

What will be needed for construction:

  • boards - 0.3 cubic meters;
  • galvanization - 2 kg;
  • investment steel - 0.2 kg;
  • galvanized mesh - 0.2 sq.m.;
  • nails - 1.5 kg;
  • galvanized nails - 0.1 kg;
  • screws - 10-12 pieces;
  • loops for the arrival board - 10 pcs.;
  • wooden insert for tap hole - 4 pcs.;
  • holder for ventilation frames - 2 pcs.;
  • drying oil - 0.5 l;
  • white - 0.3 l;
  • paints - 0.3 l.
  1. The box is assembled from boards 3.5 cm thick. The internal dimensions of the house are 45x37.5x25 cm. The walls can be made from a single piece or assembled from several boards, but be sure to glue them with non-toxic waterproof glue to avoid cracks and holes.

For nomadic houses, folds of 1.8x0.5 cm are hollowed out on the walls above and below in order to insert one into the other during transportation.

  1. Inside, folds are hollowed out for attaching frames. Their dimensions are 1.1x2 cm.
  2. On the front part, at a height of 12.5 cm, a hole Ø 2.5 cm is cut out - this is the future notch. Immediately, a sleeve is also prepared for him, which will fit tightly, but so that it can be removed without significant effort.
  3. Sidewall length 49.6 cm, height - 25 cm, wall length - 44.5 cm, height - 25 cm.

To make it convenient to transfer structures from place to place, you can make a recess on the top as a hand holder.

  1. The bottom is removable. It is a 23° sloping shield that runs from the back to the front. It is usually made from 2-3 boards 3.5 cm thick. Be sure to make a border from the ends, and from the side of the arrival board make ledges, where the loops are later screwed.
  2. The lower part of the bottom is sheathed with boards 5x3.5 cm, which will avoid rotting of the bottom and contact of the hive with the ground.
  3. The ceiling is already knocked together from 5 boards, which are fixed across the top with planks. Ceiling dimensions 496x40x1 cm.
  4. The dimensions of the liner on the outside are 52x44.5 cm, on the inside - 45x37.5 cm.
  5. The roof is made completely flat so that the hives can be assembled during transportation. They are tied with boards 10.5x2.4 cm, connected using the tenon-groove method and additionally fixed with non-toxic waterproof glue.
  6. The dimensions of the frames are 43.5x23 cm with fixed slats.
  • The parameters of the upper bar are 47x2.5x2 cm.
  • Side plank - 22x1 cm.
  • The lower bar is 41.5x2x1 cm.
  1. The ventilation frame is used to transport insects or to isolate them during the treatment of the house and prevention.
  • side strap length - 47 cm;
  • walls - 37.5 cm;
  • thickness - 2 cm.

Attached to the vent metal mesh with holes up to 3 mm.

Everything wooden details smoothly cut off and protected with fine sandpaper. The dimensions of the hives are observed exactly.

As the experience of beekeepers shows, such a building is not very complicated, and at the same time, this is the most convenient design. First, it helps to strengthen the family and increase productivity. Secondly, it allows you to combine cases with each other. Thirdly, such convenient boxes are easier to transport and carry, including in stationary apiaries to and from the winter hut.

VIDEO: How to make a multi-hull hive with your own hands

How to make a 20 frame hive

Drawings of these varieties are made according to a standard project 179 60. The convenience lies in the fact that 2 families can be kept at the same time - provided that the hull is divided into two independent compartments and each is equipped with its own tap hole.

The maximum benefit can be traced in winter - 2 families, although separated by a bar, spend less energy and feed in total. In such evidence, it is always warmer than in multi-housing, even for several bee colonies.

What you need:

  • boards - 0.2 cubic meters;
  • galvanized sheet - 3 kg;
  • galvanized mesh with a cell of 3 mm - 015 sq.m;
  • round washers - 0.02 kg;
  • screws - 0.2 kg;
  • nails - 0.25 kg;
  • galvanized roofing nails - 0.1 kg;
  • staples - 2 pcs.;
  • metal clamps - 2 pcs.;
  • inserts for the landing board - 4 pcs.;
  • drying oil - 0.5 l;
  • white - 0.3 l;
  • paints - 0.3 l.
  • crushed chalk - 0.4 kg.

The main difference between the Ukrainian sample from the Belarusian and Russian ones is the insulation of the front and rear walls.

  1. The body is made of planks. The dimensions of the finished box from the outside are 83x44x60 cm. The thickness of the outer walls is 1.5 cm, the inner walls are 2.5 cm. The length of the walls is 83 cm.
  2. The sidewalls are assembled from 5 boards, a hollow is made on top in the form of a shell under the pressure board, and at the bottom - to insert the bottom. The size of the walls is 42x3.5 cm.
  3. They make 2 lower notches 20x1.2 cm - one on the front part, the other on the side. The top two are also made, but with other sizes - 10x1.2 cm. Be sure to observe an equal distance from the bottom of 34 cm, from the edge - 16 cm.
  4. The arrival board is attached to the bottom with loops.
  5. The bottom is knocked together from 3 planks. Be sure to provide a clamping bar, with which the frames are fixed during transportation of the apiary.
  6. The frames are made high, but narrower than the standard - 30x43.5 cm.

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It is important to understand not only how to make beehives for future families. But also in how to put them in the apiary correctly, so as not to lose them in the first year.

The ideal place for an apiary is moderately sunny, moderately shaded. Near honey plants

The location is chosen depending on the conditions and topography. If you put them on open area, then at noon the workers stop working, everyone leaves the house and hides in the shade under the arrival board or even crawls under it.

For hives standing on unshaded sites, the swarming rate is more than 70%. And productivity is lower by 45%.

The consequences of direct sunlight during transportation are very serious - another shake-up on a road bump leads to the fact that the newly rebuilt softened honeycombs break off. This leads to the death of not only the workers, but also the brood, and in some cases the queen may die.

There are certain requirements for setting up hives in an apiary:

  1. Hives expose "face" to the south. This will provide excellent lighting during daylight hours, and the north-facing back wall will protect the family from strong gusts of wind.
  2. It is desirable that large shrubs or trees grow behind the houses to serve as an additional obstacle to the winds.
  3. Even before you make a hive for bees yourself, make sure that there is a source of water in the place where they will stand. But even if it is not there, the problem can be solved through collective or individual drinkers.

There must be a source of water nearby - it is no less important for a bee than for a person.

  1. Direct sunlight should not be allowed to hit the roof and the house itself, but it should not be overshadowed either. Such an arrangement will limit ventilation and artificially increase the length of the day for the bees - they will fly out earlier and return later. This will accelerate their wear and lead to an earlier death.
  2. The place for the apiary is chosen so that honey plants grow nearby. This will enable workers to prepare feed faster. The maximum distance should not exceed 1.8-2 km.
  3. It is necessary to make hives in such a way that it is possible to insulate them for the winter with moss or polyurethane foam.

When insulating, avoid direct contact of insects with polyurethane foam. To do this, it is laid with a canvas.

  1. All the grass is pulled out in front of the houses that have already been put up and are just being put up - the beekeeper should be able to control the type and quality of the garbage thrown out daily by minke whales. On the one hand, the quality of the garbage will show the condition of the family. On the other hand, the absence of grass will make it possible to notice the prolapsed uterus in time - this happens quite often.
  2. Attach boards to the arrival boards - this will allow the loaded bees to get into the house faster. This adjustment is especially important during windy conditions.

So, we told you how to make a beehive for bees yourself, what materials are needed for this and how to put houses in the apiary correctly. If you have any questions or want to clarify some of the nuances, ask questions in the comments - our experts will be happy to help you!

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