Homemade Bee Hives

The complexity in the structure of a beehive is created by the bees, but the man-made structure itself is simple and straight forward in materials as well as process. There need not be any secrets in constructing good homemade bee hives, as simplicity is all that is needed in building a suitable location for bees to propagate.

  1. Materials

    • Choose either 3/4 inch exterior plywood or 3/4 inch lumber for this project. The lumber will be lighter, but it may also be more expensive depending on your source. Two of the pieces should have a groove or rabbet cut into one of the sides. This is going to make it possible for the frames to fit inside the hive more easily and with greater stability.

    Construction Method

    • In this beehive building strategy, all of the construction is done simply. Butt the ends up against one another and bond using wood glue. Hammer in nails or attach screws for additional strength. Creating miter joints in each piece will create a stronger connection if the right equipment for creating miter joints can be obtained. Once the basic frame has been constructed, the inner frames can be constructed to fit inside.

    Dimensions

    • Dimensions chosen for this project can be made to suit any size, provided they allow for adequate space for panels and bee building. A five frame hive generally has front and rear panels of 9 inches by 10 3/8 inches and side panels of 19 1/4 inches by 10 3/8 inches. The inner and outer covers should be built to suit these or any other dimensions that are chosen for the structure. For these dimensions, interior panels should match the smaller front and rear panels in dimensions, with a small lip on top to accommodate the rabbet grooves on the longer side panels.