DIY bee hive: types and drawings. How to make a beehive with your own hands. Exact dimensions for making a beehive.

Work on setting up an apiary begins with the selection of hives for bees. The beekeeper has three options: buy ready-made ones, but this is expensive, buy previously used ones, but they may be contaminated and will not last long. Or you can make a hive yourself. Cheaper, more reliable, with a guarantee long term services. How to make it, from what, using what technologies? Recommendations from experts will help.

The beginning of any work is preceded by studying the theoretical part. Before you start assembling, it is not enough to study the drawings and designs. It is important to get acquainted with the lifestyle of “honey” insects, the sizes of drones and queens, their mode of operation, and the characteristics of reproduction. This is what determines the strict requirements for the construction of a bee house.

Briefly they can be distinguished as follows:

Advice! It is more correct to paint finished hives in different colors. bright colors. Bees navigate faster when searching for their home.

As for the requirements for the design of “rooms” for bee families, as a result of many years of practice, the optimal dimensions have been determined:

bar at the top - 24-25 mm;
width of passages for movement - 12 mm;
the axes should be at a distance of 37 mm;
It is recommended to retreat 7 mm from the slats on the sides and walls;
between the bottom and the underside of the frame - about 30-40 mm.

Types and manufacturing technologies

Let's look at the most popular structural types of beehives in the description and video.

"Dadanovsky" hive for bees. The house has 12 frames. The location is vertical, with the ability to increase the structure upward. An additional box-case is simply attached to the top. Its size, as a rule, is no more than half the main one. The hive-lounger is distinguished by a horizontal arrangement of frames and their number - up to 20 pieces. The width of the hive is larger, but the depth is less.

If it is expected a large number of bees, you can make hives using the Langstroth-Root method. There are up to 4 floor-boxes in such designs, each with 10 frames.

The easiest beehive to make is "horned". At the corners, the case boxes have protruding pin corners, hence the name. Each building contains thick boards interconnected to form a frame. Size - 15.5 cm wide with a thickness of 2.2 cm. The sections are firmly secured with bars. The structure can be disassembled to replace a damaged or broken part.

Attention! Compared to other designs, “horned” hives are the fastest to assemble and take up less space.

Materials, design details

For the manufacture of bee hives You can use plastic or foam, but you need to understand that in natural conditions, hardworking insects live in tree hollows. Of course, they will be more comfortable in wooden houses. The most suitable boards are made from linden or trees coniferous species. The wood must be of high quality, processed, without roughness and knots (2-3 per part is allowed).

Wood humidity should be no more than 16%. To save money, you can also use plywood, but it is not so durable and quickly deforms when exposed to moisture.

Attention! To ensure thermal insulation, plywood parts must be covered on the inside with polystyrene foam.

To connect the parts you will need waterproof wood glue and nails of different lengths. You can use roofing material for the roof. For final processing wood needs drying oil and paint. Using the example of the Dadanovsky hive, we will analyze in detail what parts the house will consist of:

case boxes in the intended quantity;
10 frames;
stores - 2 pcs.;
bottom and ceiling details;
element located under the cover;
insert board.

The exact dimensions and joints of parts are clearly visible in the drawings. Let's take a closer look at the main points that need to be taken into account during assembly. To make the body and the magazine, parts of the same sizes are prepared - 53 and 34 cm. The roof can be made with one or two slopes, but it is important to make it inclined. This will prevent moisture from penetrating during heavy rains. The roof is assembled from several parts: main boards and roof liner. It serves as insulation, and there are also drinking bowls or feeders for feeding bees.

The parts are nailed to each other or screwed with self-tapping screws. Depending on the climate, the underlay insulation element will vary in thickness. In order to eliminate excess moisture in the bee hive, ventilation holes are drilled in the liners. When assembling the roof, you need to pay attention to the tightness of the boards - there should be no gaps. If necessary, use gaskets or overhead skirting boards. As for assembling the bottom. A simpler option involves deafness. But, nevertheless, it is recommended to make a removable or retractable bottom. This makes it easier to clean the hive. In cold regions, the bottom should be made of double boards, with a layer of insulation.

Do-it-yourself bee house - a job that does not require complex instruments and materials. Using ready-made drawings, you can make reliable ones that will last a long time.

How to make a beehive: video

Before you start building a hive, you need to find a suitable place for it. No matter how comfortable the house may be, if there are no flowering honey plants next to it, the family is unlikely to be productive. The hives should be installed on a flat area, preferably with a slight slope to the south, east or west, so that rainwater can drain.
The apiary must be protected from drafts and strong winds. To do this, it is installed near a fence or wall. Can serve as a protective wall tall plants: sunflowers, corn, bushes or trees. Such hedge will provide shade to the houses in the summer heat.

One of the most important aspects proper breeding of bees - providing a dry and warm place to keep them. To do this, you can buy ready-made bee houses. However, the problem is that used bee hives can be contaminated, and new ones are quite expensive. Alternative option May be self-production hives.

Moreover, there is nothing particularly complicated about it. Almost any beekeeper, even a beginner, with a little effort and effort, can easily make a hive with his own hands. You just need to carefully study the drawings existing structures and choose the best one for your insects suitable option taking into account the climate zone and the expected size of the future family.

Criteria for selecting ready-made houses

When buying a ready-made bee house or if you want to make it yourself, you must first decide on the model.

Choosing suitable design, the following criteria must be taken into account:

climate and weather conditions in the region: if spring and summer are cold with characteristic frosts, you need insulated, double-walled hives, they can be left to winter outside;
possibilities for honey collection in the area: for abundant honey collections, double-hulled and multi-hulled beds are suitable, for meager honey collections - small, single-hulled ones;
type of apiary: for a stationary one, heavy beds and double-hulled houses are suitable, for a transportable one - light, compact, multi-hulled, made of polystyrene foam;
planned methods: if you need to create another family with a new queen, you need a lounger;
apiary size: for a large farm, hives are ideal, from which honey can be quickly pumped out, for example, double-hulled ones;
experience in beekeeping: it will be easier for beginners to start with a simple bed design.

To find out what types of hives are successful in your area, you can consult with experienced beekeepers and observe their work.

Requirements for a homemade hive

the building material must be durable and impervious to moisture in order to protect insects from bad weather conditions;
you need insulation that will keep you warm inside in winter and comfortable cool in summer;
It is desirable to have not one, but several entrances, which can be closed and opened according to the weather;
there must be enough space in the hive for the movement of bees, for brood and honey;
the design should be convenient for the beekeeper so that he can easily collect honey, clean the house and take care of the family; an opening lid and/or a removable bottom will be needed.

The most famous designs

Main types of hives

On the Internet you can find many schemes for making a beehive with your own hands. When choosing the most suitable scheme, pay attention to the type of structure. Among the existing ones, the following are considered the most common and convenient:

Horizontal. They are also called sunbeds. They look like a horizontal box, the length of which can vary depending on the number of frames. Its peculiarity is that the nest and the store are located next door.
Vertical, also called risers. The box has a vertical arrangement, the design consists of several tiers. Its size is increased by adding new housings or magazines on top (as opposed to horizontal, in which additions are made from the side).

Important! The division of types also depends on the size of the frames. They can be narrow and high, low and wide or equilateral.

Dadanovsky hive

One of the popular designs that is installed in many apiaries. It 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 as desired. IN summer period and after increasing the colony, the hive can be expanded with additional buildings.

Alpine

A multi-body hive built in the likeness of a hollow. It has gained great popularity due to its similarity to the natural living conditions of wild bees. This structure is ideal for places with limited space. It has no partitions or holes for ventilation. Fresh air enters the hive through the entrance.

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

Cassette

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

Important! Built from natural material, impregnated with wax.

Ukrainian lounger

An ideal solution for inexperienced beekeepers. You can quickly make it yourself. They consist of 20 frames and insulated side walls, so the honey plants survive the winter cold well. The Ukrainian sun lounger is easy to maintain.

Multi-body beehive, non-rebated

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

Medicinal properties

Bee house is used for treatment in alternative and standard medicine. This method is called "Sleeping on the hives." The effect is achieved in three ways:

Healing air.
Microvibration.
Action of the biofield.

Bee air contains propolis and flower nectar. Inhaling this mixture cleanses the respiratory tract. Helps with bronchitis, cough, acute respiratory infections.

Bee hive heals

Cardiovascular diseases.
Infertility.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Helps with post-operative rehabilitation, as well as metabolic disorders in the body.

The use of bee therapy is prohibited if

Alcohol was consumed.
At allergic reactions for pollen and honey.
Taking any medicine.
The disease is in the acute stage.

The benefits of honey have been known since ancient times. Recently, bee products have been actively used to treat cancer. Cancer - malignant tumor, which kills healthy cells in the body and lowers the immune system. Treatment with honey restores old cells and enhances the work of new cells.

In addition to honey, bees are also used in treatment. When moving, these insects create vibration and positively influence the human biofield. This method of treatment strengthens the immune system, invigorates and gives strength.

Materials for making hives

Initially, beekeepers collected honey from wild bees in the hollows of forest trees. Then someone came up with the idea of making log decks and installing them near their home. Modern Hive is a simplified and, more importantly, lightweight version of the deck. Therefore wood is considered the best material for making bee hives. Bees feel very comfortable in wooden houses.

Best breed The wood used to make hives is linden. It absorbs less moisture and contains virtually no wood resins.

However thermal insulation properties This tree is low and hives made of linden must be additionally insulated for the winter. In addition, linden boards are more expensive than other, more common types of wood.

Hives made of pine and spruce are much cheaper and retain heat better. But the pine smell and ability to absorb moisture make hives made from these types of wood not comfortable enough. The main advantages of houses made of pine and spruce are low cost and good ability to retain heat.

What material is best to make hives from?

Since ancient times, wooden hives have been installed in the apiary. For their manufacture, natural soft wood of linden, poplar, willow, spruce or cedar was used. Today, polystyrene foam and polyvinyl chloride hives are found on sale. They have many advantages over wooden models - lightness, ease of transportation and assembly. But the main plus wooden house– its naturalness and environmental safety.

To make a bee house, buy high-quality cut soft wood. The boards used for construction are processed and sanded. Their surface should be smooth, without chips or knots. Knots that are well fused with the surface are allowed on parts with a width of at least 65 mm. The walls, bottom and roof of the hive are made of boards various sizes. Only one rule applies to them - high quality wood (without rotten and rotten places, without mold and rotten knots).

Plywood

Easy to process and durable material for bee houses, which, however, does not withstand moisture, and therefore its outer surface must be primed and painted. To retain heat inner surface The plywood hive is covered with polystyrene foam. Plywood structures are strong and lightweight, but require annual maintenance to ensure protection from moisture.

Expanded polystyrene and polystyrene foam

These materials have become quite widely used for the manufacture of hives in recent years. They are easy to process, and therefore making a hive from them is much easier than from any other material.

Constructions made of polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are very light, dry and warm. Bees feel quite comfortable in such houses. The low cost of materials makes them accessible to most beekeepers.

The disadvantages include low strength and fragility of the structure, which requires very careful handling. In addition, polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene are afraid of exposure ultraviolet rays and are destroyed over time. Therefore, to protect against solar radiation hives made from these materials must be painted.

Polyurethane

Another modern material, which does not rot, is moisture resistant, is not afraid of ultraviolet radiation, is easy to process, retains heat well and has a small specific gravity. Polyurethane is not damaged by mice, birds and insects. Hives made from it are light and comfortable. Disadvantages include its flammability, inability to pass air and high cost.

Video about making hives from different materials

Requirements for hive design

The main requirements for the design of bee hives are that they must provide a dry, well-ventilated and warm environment for the bees. When developing your own design that differs from standard options, some features should be taken into account. As shown practical experience, design dimensions must include the following:

the width of the top bar on the frame is 25 mm;
between the axes of adjacent frames there should be 37.5 mm;
the width of streets or passages for bees is 12.5 mm;
between the side slats of the frames and the walls of the hive no more than 7.5 mm;
from the top of the frame to the lower body and from the lower bar to the upper body there should be no less than 8 and no more than 10 mm;
the distance from the bottom bar of the frame to the bottom of the hive body is within 20-40 mm.

These insects are especially good at distinguishing yellow, orange and blue shades, as well as white. The roof must be painted white to reduce its heating by the sun's rays. Before painting, the surface is treated with drying oil or primer.

When using thin walls on winter period, they are insulated with reed or straw mats. You can use other insulation materials, but this option with mats is the cheapest. Compliance with these conditions will ensure normal development bee colony and simple hive maintenance.

DIY “horned” hive

One of the simplest and, at the same time, effective designs for making beehives with your own hands is the “horned” hive. This model got its name due to the presence of connecting pins protruding from the corners of the body. It was invented by Mikhail Polivoda, who decided to develop a multi-tiered sectional hive that was as easy to manufacture as possible.

Each individual section consists of 4 boards, 155 wide and 22 mm thick, knocked together in a frame. To connect the sections to each other, 22x27 mm bars are fixed in the corner parts of the body, protruding 22 mm in the upper part and not reaching the edge by 17 mm in the lower part.

When the housings are stacked on top of each other, these bars connect them, creating a strong monolithic structure. The remaining gap between the bars is intended to allow disassembly using a chisel or other tool. The internal dimensions of the case are 450x300 mm.

The tightness of the joints between the connected bodies is ensured by the selection of end folds along the edges of the boards. In order to simplify the work, instead of folds inside the body, you can nail parallel bars on which the shoulders of the body frame will rest. In this case, the structure will become somewhat heavier, and inner dimensions will be determined by the distance between these bars.

The quality of board processing is not critical. The main condition is the absence of strong roughness. The same can be said about the thickness of the board. It is important that only the internal dimensions are maintained.

The bottom is made of metal mesh with a 3x3 or 4x4 mm cell, stretched over a frame body made of boards 100 mm wide. On one of the narrow sides there is a wide taphole with a height of 22 mm. A lid with a continuous layer of boards is used as a ceiling.

In winter, for insulation, it is covered with polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam glued to a sheet of tin. After manufacturing, all sections must be primed and painted with colored paints.

The working capacity of such a “horned” hive is designed for the installation of 8 Dadan or magazine frames. The structure, assembled from several sections, is installed on a wooden platform slightly raised above the ground. The wall thickness of 25 mm provides for the presence additional insulation in the winter season.

Advantages of a “horned” hive

Most beekeepers admit that Mikhail Polivoda has developed a very simple and successful design, while noting that:

making a beehive has become easier;
any dry wood can be used as a material;
Even wood waste can be used as bars;
production does not require complex tools;
the weight of the case is light, which makes it possible to move it to a new location without much difficulty;
you can use store-bought frames or make them yourself;
the design is inexpensive and accessible even to novice beekeepers.

As a result, the solution is practical and very comfortable to use.

Instructions for making and assembling a classic hive

Thanks to its simple and intuitive design, classic version Until recently, it was considered the Dadanovsky hive. Its design consists of:

several housings for installing frames;
two stores;
ceiling;
liner;
roofs;
insert board;
10 or 12 frames.

Mandatory additional accessories included in the kit include a feeder, a drinking bowl and entrance barriers in the form of conical wooden plugs.

Before you make a hive with your own hands, you need to select and purchase necessary materials, for which you can use dry linden, aspen, pine or spruce boards 30-40 mm thick, and for the lid and roof liner - 15 mm thick. The surface of the boards must be carefully processed on at least one side and at the ends. At any wooden part No more than 3 knots are allowed.

The material you can use is polystyrene foam, foam grade no lower than 40, or polyurethane. To assemble the structure, you need PVA glue or other waterproof glue with a strength of at least 20 kg/cm 2, as well as nails with a length of 10, 40 and 60 mm. The roof is covered with a layer of roofing felt or other waterproofing material. At the final stage you will need drying oil, paints and brushes.

Manufacturing of the body and magazine

For the manufacture of cases and magazines, existing boards are cut into lengths of 530 and 340 mm. Along the long ends of the boards, tongues and ridges with a width of 15 mm are selected. Shields are assembled from the prepared sections using a tongue-and-groove adhesive joint. To create the possibility of hanging frames, in the front and back walls a fold of 11 mm wide and 20 mm deep is selected.

Along the inner edge of the side walls, it is necessary to remove a fold 16 mm wide and 10 mm deep, and along the outer side, remove a chamfer of 5x5 mm. Thanks to the presence of this fold, the magazine will be installed on the body, and the chamfer will ensure reliable removal of moisture from the walls during rain.

A fold of 24 mm wide and 10 mm high is made along the lower edge of the body and magazine. The dimensions of the shield for the side wall are 490x340 mm. IN corner connections they fit into the folds of the front and back walls.

Making a roof

The roof structure consists of a roof and a retaining frame. The roof is assembled from boards 10-15 mm thick or plywood 8-10 mm thick is used. For waterproofing, it is covered with two layers of roofing felt or waterproofing material. It is even better to use sheet aluminum or galvanized iron.

To hold the roof in a fixed position, strappings are nailed around the perimeter wooden slats 20x20 mm. It is necessary to drill ventilation holes in the end walls and close them metal mesh with a cell of 3x3 mm.

Bottom assembly

The bottom of Dadanovsky hives is detachable. The shield is assembled from boards 40 mm thick with glue into a 10x20 mm tongue and groove. The outer trim is made from wooden block when connected into a tenon. A fold is selected along the top edge to allow installation of a magazine. The dimensions of the bottom must correspond to the dimensions of the body.

Universal sizes

Whatever project you take as a basis, it is important to observe the basic dimensions of the parts and the distances between them. For bee houses with low-wide frames, it is important to maintain the distance between the back and front sides. It should be exactly 45 cm.

The universal sizes for all types of hives are:

With a honeycomb thickness of 2.5 cm, the street is 1.25 cm.
The passage between the frames and the walls of the hive (front and back) is 0.75 cm.
Leave 2 cm between the bottom and the bottom bar of the nest.
Between the middle walls of frames adjacent to each other you need to make a distance of 3.75 cm.

A good hive, built with your own hands, will delight the beekeeper and serve as a reliable refuge for bees for 10 years. In regions with low humidity and good weather conditions, this period can be 20 years. When building, turn to trusted sources, look at the apiary of an experienced beekeeper, use his personal opinion. These tips will help you achieve good results.

Drawings of Dadan's hive

Since the Dadanovsky hive and the bed use standard frames, they differ only in width: one should fit 12 pieces of frames, the other - 20 or 24 pieces. The rest of the parameters remain the same.

Side and front (back and front) walls of the hive

Housing assembly diagram

Changeable parameters for hives with different quantities frames are given in the table. Substitute them into the drawing and get the option that you need.

What you need to know before you start making a hive with your own hands

Even before you start making hives yourself, you need to know the requirements for materials and technology for constructing bee hives. A lot of them. Let's start with the material requirements.

What are they made of?

The most common material is wood. Both non-resinous coniferous wood (spruce, fir, deresined pine) and loose wood can be used. hardwoods- poplar, linden, etc. You should not use dense wood - the hive will be heavy and cold.

The requirements for wood are strict. It must be dry - no more than 16% humidity, without falling knots, rot, wormholes, or redness. Blue discoloration is acceptable (it does not affect quality indicators). If there are knots, they can be removed, sealed with plugs of the same type of wood and puttied. Do not use wood with other defects.

Today they make hives from plywood, preferably birch. In this case, the walls are made double with a gasket between layers of insulation - foam plastic. Such hives are warm in winter and cool in summer. Their disadvantage is that the walls are vapor-tight and moisture does not escape through them. Therefore, the hive ventilation system must be given Special attention(make an additional notch at the top and, if necessary, open it for ventilation).

Sometimes hives are assembled from polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam and polystyrene foam. Most good option- expanded polystyrene. You can even install some kind of fasteners in it; neither bees nor other insects can gnaw it. The remaining two materials are collected using glue, and bees also grind them down, and ants and other neighbors undesirable for bees can settle in.

Processing and Assembly Requirements

When assembling a hive with your own hands, you must strictly maintain the internal dimensions of the body and extensions. Then increasing volumes will not cause difficulties. Parts of the hive - bodies, extensions, magazines, roof - must be connected into a lock and the lock parts must also match. This is necessary for a reliable connection without cracks and drafts, which bees really don’t like. Due to this maximum tolerances during processing they are 1-2 mm.

There are also requirements for the quality of processing of materials. Most of them relate to wood, but they can also be applied to other materials:

Boards and bars must be smooth, without burrs, burrs or chips.
It is necessary to cut materials strictly at an angle of 90°, without allowing deviations.
The hive bodies must be knocked down from solid boards 40-45 mm thick or using a tongue-and-groove joint, glued for reliability.
To pair the parts of the hive, a quarter is chosen in the parts - for a reliable gapless connection.
Rebates are made on the front and back walls of the hive for hanging frames. The depth of the fold should be such that there is a distance of at least 8-10 mm from the top edge of the plank to the cover or extension. If the distance is smaller, the frames may stick to the cover, which creates maintenance problems.
If the walls are made of two layers (if the boards are not thick enough), the outer ones are connected in quarters, making sure that the seams in the layers do not coincide. It is better to connect the internal parts and the bottom into a tongue or groove.

Structural elements and their features

Most often, the hive has a modular structure - it consists of several detachable parts. This is convenient as it allows you to increase the volume as needed. Each of these parts is manufactured separately and the manufacturing precision must be high - all parts must be interchangeable.

Dadanovsky hive of two buildings placed one on top of the other

Frame

This is the central part of the hive, which usually houses the bees' nest. Depending on the number of bodies, hives can be single-body, double-body or multi-body (3 or more). The corps are mentored as the family grows.

Hive body for 12 frames

Roof

The roof of the hive can be single-pitched (sloping backwards) or gable. In any case, it should have overhangs - protrude beyond the geometric dimensions of the hive and protect the walls from exposure to bad weather.

Roof structures for hives

The roof consists of a roof liner - a flat body for placing insulation or feeders for feeding bees - and the roof planks themselves, nailed to the roof liner or screwed with self-tapping screws. The height of the underframe depends on the thickness of the insulation, and this value depends on the region. Typically the height of the roof liner is 80-140 mm. Ventilation holes are often also made in the roof liner to remove moist air from the hive.

When making a roof, the boards are laid either in two layers with the seams overlapping, or from thicker boards in one layer, but the seams are necessarily covered with thin planks. On top wooden roof hives can be laid roofing iron, roofing felt or roofing felt.

When making the roof, make sure that it fits tightly, without gaps. To seal the joint around the perimeter of the body, you can stuff a felt strip or nail a plinth to the outside of the body to cover the joint.

The bottom of the hive can be nailed to the body (solid) or can be pulled out or pulled out, i.e. be detachable. The detachable bottom makes hive maintenance easier - allows you to clean the bottom without disassembling the entire hive. Structurally, the bottom can be:

cold - from a single board;
warm - made of two layers with insulating backfill.

The bottom can also be double-sided - with protrusions different heights on both sides, which allows you to adjust the internal volume. Knock it down tightly, without gaps, connect the boards into a quarter or into a groove with additional gluing of the joint with moisture-resistant wood glue. The cracks must be carefully sealed (with wood putty), as wax crumbs are poured into them, and then wax moths appear. Therefore, from time to time they prefer to replace the bottom by knocking together a new one.

Useful videos

20 frame horizontal hive

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

We cut parts from a board four cm wide. These parts will serve as the front and back walls of the hive. Side ones, cut from a board three cm long.
We assemble the structure so that all the walls except the front are in contact with the bottom, and the front rises one and a half cm from the bottom. This distance will in the future serve as a taphole from below. The corners are butted into quarters and secured with nails.
We make the floor from a board 3.5 cm thick. The bottom should look like a shield.
The ceilings are built from boards: L-47.8 cm, thickness - 1 cm.
We construct the roof. It can be made flat, pitched or gable. This is the only part that can be upholstered with metal sheet.
For northern regions, the lounger must be insulated on both sides.

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

The ease of construction with your own hands lies in the fact that polystyrene foam is inexpensive and reliable. Building from this material is simple and profitable. Before you build a bee hive with your own hands, you need to know the dimensions. The size of future hives 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. Length is calculated: frame length plus 1.4. The height is calculated: add the height of the frame to the height of the folds.

Initially, you should decide on the size and begin construction in stages.
We apply stencils of the future house onto a sheet of foam plastic.
We cut out the future walls and clean the corners with sandpaper.
To fasten all the parts, we cut out quarters and use nails and screws for connections.
The bottom is made of galvanized sheet metal.
The roof must be flat or pitched. After the roof is fastened, it is weighted down.
The entrances are standard.

After completing the construction of the hive, it is necessary to make frames. They consist of: upper, lower and side bars. Made from dried, natural material.
Dimensions according to GOST:

top and sides – B-2.5 cm
top rail – H-2 cm;
bottom rail – B - from 1.5 to 2.5 cm;
H – 1 cm;
Dimensions depend on the type of hive; dimensions according to GOST are 43.5x30.
(H-height; B-width; L-length)

Frame

The central part of the hive is a four-walled box. It contains a bee's nest. As the bee colony grows, the bodies can be stacked on top of each other. Based on the number of buildings, houses are divided into: single, double-building and multi-building (3 or more). The wall thickness should be 35 mm. This size will help the swarm to survive the winter 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 the entrance and exit for the swarm. Also, at the bottom of the case, a hole is drilled for ventilation. The finished body is treated on the outside with a water-repellent material and painted white.

Important! It is necessary to make recesses on the sides of the case, 7mm below the top of the case. They will serve as handles for convenient transportation from place to place.

Roof

The roof is made from boards 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, tin sheets are used only to cover the roof; they are not used to cover the walls.

Most beekeepers install a net on top of the hive. additional ventilation when transporting bee houses. It is also necessary to isolate the swarm from the outside world.

For regions with cold climates, 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. The three side bars have standard dimensions - 57x6.5x3.5. The bars that will be installed in the rear are 44.5x6.5x3.5. In each block, at a distance of 2 cm from the top edge, it is necessary to make puzzles. After all the parts are cut out, we begin assembling the parts of the structure. The bottom should be assembled with the letter “P”. Grooves are necessary for installing the floor. The landing board is made from a protruding beam of 5 cm, the front beam of the bottom.
The bottom, for convenience, should be removable and double-sided.

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;
hammer drill, welding machine and Bulgarian;
board 32x18, 12 mm plywood;
insulation;
a metal sheet;
PVA, paint, brushes.

Blueprints

It is more convenient to use ready-made drawings.

Due to the large number of frames and bodies, it will be difficult for a novice beekeeper to make a multi-body hive.

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

When constructing a multi-hull house, you must follow several rules:

The bottom can be made any way. The removable bottom makes caring for insects much easier.
It is better to make the hive roof flat for more convenient transportation.
Frames must have side slats and have side bars.
For a family of bees, you need to make a feeder from a nomadic net.
The roof is assembled after the entire structure has been assembled and after the insulation stage.
The house should be warm, comfortable and airtight. Otherwise, the swarm will be sick, will not survive the winter cold and will not produce honey well.

After you have decided to become a beekeeper and have bought a couple of colonies, the time comes for you to need new hives. Families grow and swarm, and they need to be moved to new houses. You can, of course, buy ready-made ones, but buying used ones is dangerous. It is unknown what diseases can be purchased with them, and the new prices are steep. There is only one thing left - to make beehives for bees with your own hands according to the drawings. If you know all the manufacturing rules, then it’s not difficult at all.

In this article we will talk about making beehives with our own hands, the right sizes and drawings for them. Let's find out what a beehive is and how to make it.

In ancient times, beekeepers extracted honey from hollow trees, then they began to hollow out logs for bees. With the development of beekeeping, people began to make evidence for bees with their own hands. different designs, and the material used on them is different.

Tree

A classic option for making bee hives. In such houses, bees feel in natural conditions, close to natural ones. The best type of wood for manufacturing is cedar, although linden and aspen are also possible. Such hives breathe better, smell nice and are dry.

Hives made of aspen and linden require additional insulation in winter. And these are expensive materials.

Some beekeepers make their own hives from cheaper materials. This is pine, spruce, fir. But the bees are not comfortable in such evidence. They collect moisture and resins, especially in new ones.. Pine smell. There is only one good thing about them: they are warm and require minimal insulation for the winter.

Plywood

Durable and environmentally friendly material. A house made from it must be painted and insulated from the inside with polystyrene foam, then it will be dry and warm. But plywood is afraid of moisture and requires constant and proper care.

Expanded polystyrene

Modern material used by beekeepers to make hives. It has a low cost and does not require additional insulation in winter.

The disadvantage of this material is fragility and brittleness. If selected Bad quality, then honey may deteriorate.

Styrofoam

The most economical option. It is possible to use packaging from household appliances. The advantage of this material is its lightness even with filled frames. Excellent thermal insulation. The disadvantage of this material is its fragility and permanent coloring so that it does not crumble from exposure to sunlight.

Polyurethane

Excellent thermal insulation properties. Does not rot, does not decompose. Fungus and bacteria do not develop in it. It does not allow moisture to pass through and it does not accumulate inside. Bees, mice and birds do not like to chew on it.

A small downside is that it is flammable and requires ventilation because it does not allow air to pass through.

After carefully studying the characteristics of the material, you can begin building the hive. Let's consider options for building wooden and foam houses.

Types and designs of hives

Bee houses are divided according to their design:

collapsible;
non-separable.

Almost no one uses the latter because they are difficult to care for.. All beekeepers use frame hives, where the number of frames can vary. A DIY beehive with 24 frames is popular. However, there are options for 16 and 20 frames.

In turn, frame hives are divided into:

horizontal;
vertical.

The horizontal or “bed” consists of one body. The expansion goes to the sides. It is easy to work with such evidence and change the number of frames, but they have a drawback - they are bulky and heavy.

Vertical ones consist of several buildings. This form is lightweight and mobile.

Both forms use multiple sections. They are separated by partitions, which allows you to change volumes in any direction.

Popular designs

Dadanovsky

Used in almost all apiaries. Made from wood (cedar, spruce, pine, linden, aspen). It is simple and spacious. Consists of 12 frames and can be supplemented with shops or cases as the family grows. In winter, bees are kept in the nesting compartment. As the weather gets warmer and the family grows, they are added to the buildings.