Build It and They Will Come

After we decided to get bees, we'd already decided to use a top-bar hive, but C decided he wanted to build our hive. We found plans in several different places, but he decided the plans he found in a beekeeping magazine - GRIT Magazine's Guide to Backyard Beekeeping and Honey - looked like the best and easiest to follow. So my Can Do Basically Anything Stud Muffin got started.




Gotta measure it out








Used a chalkline to make sure the lines were straight.

He made all the cuts.

I helped by sanding.

 We used a low VOC water sealant to protect the wood. We let these air outside for a week before C was ready to assemble the hive. You want to make sure that there are no toxic fumes remaining that could kill the bees once they're in the hive.

 I really wanted to be able to peek in without disturbing the bees - especially in the winter when you're really not supposed to open the hive at all - so C had the owner of our local glass shop cut some pieces of glass so that he could put in windows.

 Here are all the parts for the top bars.

 These will lay across the top of the hive, flat part (the part laying against the table) will be on top, the bees will build their comb suspended from the thin piece going down vertically from that.

Here are my windows!

And here is the roof! It's almost done! And a good thing... the bees arrive this weekend!