Simple do-it-yourself hive drawings. Bee hives: structure, varieties, DIY production. Making your own hive from polystyrene foam
One of the problems for novice beekeepers is the construction of beehives for bees with their own hands. Drawings of such structures can be obtained on the Internet or from experienced beekeepers.
In our article we will get acquainted with the types of hives internal device, and also learn how to make a similar structure for honey insects with your own hands.
Types
Dadanovsky houses for bees In beekeeping practice, several types of hives are used, which differ not only in overall dimensions, but also in the material of manufacture, as well as in the internal structure. In general, bee houses can be collapsible or non-demountable.
Hugely popular among beekeepers this moment use frame houses for bees. Depending on the type of design, the number of frames in the case can vary from 10 to 24 pieces.
All hives can be divided into two main types, horizontal and vertical. If in the first case the hive for honey insects consists of one body with a maximum number of frames, for example, 24 pieces. In vertical hives, bodies with a small number of honeycombs are stacked on top of each other.
It is important to know: last view Almost no one uses hives due to the difficulty of caring for insects.
Alpine multi-body hive Now let’s take a look at the most popular hive designs:
Device
After taming honey insects, people settled them in artificial dwellings. In fact, the design of the hive is quite simple, made in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped.
Depending on the type, a bee house may include one or more boxes with a box-like structure. In the upper and lower parts of the elements in question there are special grooves for connecting with the pallet and roof liner or for connecting the boxes to each other (in the case of using multi-body hives
for bees). Note:
The design of the frame has the form of a quadrangle, each side of which is framed by wooden planks. In the middle of the product described, a sheet of foundation is attached to a thin wire. After installing new frames between the brood, the bees begin to pull back the combs. In the center of one of the buildings there is brood. Top part The hive, as well as the side frames, are designed for collecting honey.
At the bottom of the house for honey insects there is a tray or bottom, at the top there is a roof and a roof that protects the bees from precipitation. IN summer period if there is a good bribe, smaller stores are added to the main buildings, used for storing honey. The entrance to the house is a round or square entrance.
DIY making
Let's look at the process of making a hive using the example of a bed, which is designed for 24 frames. To quickly and efficiently complete the work, we will need the following tools and material:
- wooden boards, sheets of plywood and foam plastic;
- measuring instruments such as a construction tape and a corner;
- chisel;
- hand saw;
- hammer;
- glue;
- drill;
- sheet metal for roofing;
- self-tapping screws;
- drill with drills of the required diameter;
- frames in the amount of 24 pieces.
The hive is made according to drawings taken from the Internet or from experienced beekeepers. Standard dimensions frames 300*435 millimeters. The length of the lounger is 870 millimeters, the width is 565 millimeters, the height of the board is 635 millimeters. The roof and bottom are selected to match the dimensions of the body.
Beekeeper's advice: The thickness of the pallet board should be 35 millimeters.
The lower taphole is made in the form of a rectangle. This is a cutout measuring 12*140 millimeters. The upper entrance is round, its diameter is 25 millimeters.
All elements of the 24-frame hive must be manufactured according to the drawings in compliance with all specified dimensions. First, assemble the bottom, while the boards are attached to the side walls with a hammer and nails. Next, attach the front, back, and also side walls housings. Entrances are made in the upper and lower parts of the hive, and a landing board is installed.
At the next stage of work, we install the roof, while the side boards are fastened with nails. For ease of opening, the roof and body are secured with hinges. At the back of this part we make a small vent. Next, all that remains is to put the hive on legs, prime and paint it, and move it to a permanent place.
Requirements
In order for honey insects to feel good in their new home, the following requirements must be met:
- in the house it is necessary to install special ceiling and side protection, which will help create favorable microclimate indoors;
- the bee colony quickly expands when the brood emerges from the combs, so a good beekeeper should prepare additional housings with frames to increase the volume of the house;
- the structure is made in such a way that it is convenient for insects to live in and for work carried out by humans. Inner space should be easy to clean and disinfect;
Take note: Before constructing a beehive, you need to decide on its dimensions. Despite the fact that experienced beekeepers may be guided by personal considerations regarding the size of the house for honey insects, for novice beekeepers the classic option is considered ideal.
- Dried boards are used to make cabinets hardwood wood 20 millimeters thick;
- the distance from the bottom of the frame to the bottom is taken equal to 20 millimeters.
As we have already said, it is recommended to use softwood to make a hive, since hard lumber, such as oak or beech, is not only difficult to process, but also heavy.
The board for the body must be dried and free of knots and chips. It is allowed to use materials with knots, but they should not fall out of the board.
Good to know: When making a bee house, one should not forget about high-quality insulation. For this purpose, you can use special pillows with dimensions of 450 * 450 millimeters, which are stuffed with cotton wool or dried moss.
The bees' living space can be protected from unoccupied space using a diaphragm, which is made from several thin planks or a single piece of plywood. Assembling a home-made hive begins with the body, then installs the frames, secures the bottom and roof.
There is nothing complicated in making a bee house, the main thing is to follow the specified dimensions. You can see what a particular part looks like in the drawings. Factory hives are quite expensive, so making a home for bees will provide an opportunity not only to gain invaluable experience, but also to save a lot of money.
For detailed instructions on making a beehive with your own hands, see the following video:
Beekeeping is quite a fascinating, interesting, but at the same time, very serious and, in a sense, even dangerous activity. It must be approached with great responsibility, having carefully weighed everything, thought it through, and studied all the nuances. First of all, you should evaluate your capabilities, the availability of the necessary space on the site, and other important points, without which bees cannot be raised. This is especially true for dwellings - hives for bees, which must be constructed according to the drawings, otherwise insects will begin to build nests in other places.
Bee apiary in the country: advantages and disadvantages
An apiary in the country has many advantages
Beekeeping at a country cottage has a lot of advantages and positive aspects:
- natural, your own honey, which is primarily used for medicinal purposes;
- in addition to honey you will receive many other useful and valuable products: wax, propolis, pollen, bee venom, royal jelly and others;
- additional income from selling honey to friends, acquaintances and other buyers who want to purchase natural products.
However, raising bees carries considerable risk, which is the main disadvantage of setting up an apiary. They can sting, and this often entails the most disastrous consequences and this should not be forgotten.
Also, to place the hives you need:
- Space, a lot of free space on the site.
- Purchasing or making your own houses for these insects.
- Time and desire to take care of them, albeit not constantly, but still.
- Providing bees with a “working place” where they will harvest.
But if you, nevertheless, have decided to take such a step, are ready to overcome difficulties, care for and breed these working insects, it is worth learning more about them and their life.
Types of hives and their design features
Apitoxin therapy - treatment with bees.
Currently, there is a wide variety of hives, differing from each other in size, shape, design features. Each beekeeper himself chooses the most suitable and convenient models for himself. But the most common and popular are: double-body, with a semi-frame magazine, sunbeds and multi-body.
Double-hull
It is a structure made of two buildings (boxes), the height of which is 32 cm, and their internal dimensions are 45X45 cm. The bottom box has a removable bottom, and the top one has a removable roof. The hive contains 24 frames, 12 in each housing.
As a rule, in its full form, a double-hull “bee house” is installed in an apiary only in warm time, when insects wake up and begin to harvest.
IN winter period When it’s cold outside, they are placed in one of the boxes, and the second one is prudently removed as a spare, additional one.
With half-frame magazine: drawing
This is a box (housing) housing a family of bees, which during the honey harvest period is supplemented with one or two, in rare cases three, store extensions.
The size of the box is 45x45 cm inside and 32 cm in height. The height of the magazine extensions is two times lower. Half-frames are twice as low as nesting frames.
Sun lounger A “single-story” bee house with an elongated body.
It can accommodate up to 20 or even more frames. The bottom of such hives, as a rule, is not removed. The beekeeper has easy access to honey by using hives in his apiary, the width of which is 45 cm and the length is 78.6 or 93.6 cm.
However, they are much more difficult to remove for the winter than many other types of hives due to their heavy weight and large size.
Multihull This design is a hive built from several boxes of the same size.
(cases). In each box, the height of which is 25 cm, instead of 32 cm, there are no more than 10 frames, the size of which is 43.5 cm X 23.0 cm. The height of the frame, accordingly, is also lower by 7 cm. The internal dimensions of such cases are also several different than in a two-body hive - 45x37.5 cm. The bottom of multi-hull narrow-tall bee houses is removed.
How to make it yourself Beehives can always be purchased in specialized stores. However, if the owner of a dacha, suburban area there are necessary Construction Materials
, this cost item can be significantly reduced and the hives can be made independently.
In fact, there is nothing complicated or special about this.
Step-by-step instruction
- To build a hive you need: Stock up on dry softwood boards
- : poplars, pine, linden and others. Their humidity should not exceed 15%. The width of the boards should be varied, but not less than 3 cm. And also purchase nails; Prepare the boards correctly, in strict accordance with the drawings required sizes : saw off, sand, choosing the most optimal one, suitable look
- hive;, be sure to take into account that the hives must have two insert boards, fencing off frames and empty space, boards or canvas covering the insect nest, as well as special pillows located on top and on the sides of the “house”;
- The roof of hives is generally sloping backwards., solid, simple;
- Make a taphole, about 20 cm in size;
- Make frames, based on the size of the hive itself;
- Paint the structure to pleasant ones, light colors, preferably different, so that insects can easily find their hive: yellow, blue, white.
Beekeepers, especially new bees, should know that bees need to create everything the necessary conditions,
especially in the hives themselves, where the width of the passages between the frames, regardless of the type of structure, should be 11.6 mm, between the walls of the “house” and the side frame bars - 8 mm, and from 8 to 10 mm - the distance between the upper bars of the store extension frames and the lower bars of the upper store extensions.
The width of the side bars of the frame and the top bar should be 25 mm. This is exactly the thickness of the honeycombs of bees.
Failure to comply with certain dimensions, distances, and calculations when constructing a hive can lead to various consequences. The bees may be too crowded, they get very irritated when the frames are taken out of the hives, touching them, so they behave restlessly, aggressively, and sting the beekeeper.
An interesting option: decor and a house for bees
Or, on the contrary, the “houses” may be too loose, which leads to the bees creating additional honeycombs that glue the frames and walls of the hive.
Mostly hives on summer cottages located in the garden. However, for this, the owner of the site needs to take additional measures: build a fence 2 meters high, plant raspberries, currants around the apiary, various plants so that the bees have a place to harvest. Or you can use the attic for these purposes, which is also very convenient and safer for neighbors. In addition to bees, summer residents often have chickens and breed carp. Read how to build and detailed material about . Follow the link to find information about.
It is probably difficult for a beekeeper to overestimate the importance of such an ingenious invention of the century before last as a collapsible frame hive; after all, before the outstanding Russian and Ukrainian scientist - beekeeper P. I. Prokopovich its first design was developed, beekeeping was at a very primitive stage. People did not have the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of winged workers and help them if necessary, and the procedure for selecting honey in general for a long time was a real destruction of the nest, from which the honeycombs were simply torn out.
It is the collapsible frame hive its appearance marked the transition from low-productivity, swarming beekeeping to modern, aimed at increasing the productivity of bee colonies and their distribution throughout the world.
At the dawn of the development of my apiary among many various designs I chose the usual 12-frame hives for keeping bees, the so-called dadans. In addition to the fact that all the beekeepers I knew in the area kept bees in such hives, my decision was influenced by six old dadans and a large supply of them left over from my grandfather’s apiary. In addition, hives in beekeeping stores were not cheap even then, so for starters it was quite possible to get by with these.
Subsequently, when the apiary began to grow, I began to make hives with my own hands, according to drawings from books. In principle, the technology for making hives is not complicated, many designs have been proposed, you can even develop your own over time, you just have to follow mandatory inner dimensions regarding the framework, namely:
1) The side bars of the frames should be at a distance of 7.5 - 8 mm from the hive wall.
2) The distance between the centers of the frames is 37 - 38 mm.
3) Frame thickness 25 mm.
4) The distance from the bottom of the hive to the bottom bar of the frames is 15 - 20 mm.
5) The distance between adjacent floors of frames in a multi-body hive is 10 mm.
When making hives, it is convenient for me to use the Dadan frame template, the dimensions of which can be seen in the figure below.
When making hives, follow one standard so that all parts of different hives are interchangeable. In the future, this will protect you from such an unpleasant situation as inconsistency of parts, for example, a magazine extension that fits well on one hive does not fit well with the rest, and the like.
This is the Dadanovsky hive with 12 frames that I can now make in about a day of work. Housing material- pine or cedar, cedar roof to make it lighter.
Material consumption- from a cube of five you get about 14 buildings, plus about 0.01 cubic meters of wood goes to each roof. By the way, I slightly changed the roof manufacturing technology - instead of flashing, I select quarters from adjacent boards and connect them, resulting in savings in material and weight. I connect the boards of the body into tongue and groove, without glue.
The boards have to be cut using a circular saw, which is time consuming and inconvenient. In the future I will use a thickness planer.
It is very convenient to connect boards with screws using a screwdriver; I recently switched from nails - now I couldn’t be happier. I sharpen the edges and ends with a grinder and an emery wheel so that the roof fits without any problems. I paint it with the addition of aluminum powder - I read that it is useful for shielding the hive from electromagnetic waves.
Reading time ≈ 4 minutes
Many summer residents have thought about this interesting activity like beekeeping. At first it may seem that this activity is too difficult for the average person, but this is not so. You can make an apiary yourself with just a few commonly available tools. In this article we will look at how to build a hive with your own hands. The material will be accompanied by photos (you can see the dimensions and diagrams in detail).
Drawings of a hive for bees
In the first image you can see the main assembly drawing of the hive, with proportions, sizes and numbering of the components. The hive consists of three parts: the lower part, the body of the hive and the roof. For the roof, a sheet of plywood with the specified dimensions with slots for feeding is used. The design has hinged sections that can be easily removed if desired. There is also a special device that protects the hive during severe weather conditions.
Tools and materials
Let's look at the basic tools that will be used to make your own hive:
- yardstick;
- pencil;
- marker;
- hand saw;
- drill-driver (cordless type);
- drills 3, 7, 12 mm;
- Screwdriver Set;
- table top;
- Sander(angular);
- welding equipment;
- set of brushes.
You also need to decide on a set of main constituent elements. In our case, we need to prepare:
- loops - 2 pcs.;
- galvanized nails 50x2.65mm - 1 kg;
- countersunk head screws 4x25mm - 200 pcs;
- wooden boards 32x18mm - 20 m;
- facing 6 mm;
- plywood 460x460x12 mm;
- corners made of mild steel 50x50x3mm - 2m;
- aluminum corner 50x50x3mm - 0.7m;
- mild steel 80x80x3mm - 4 pcs.;
- metal paint;
- wood glue;
- linen insulation;
Cutting and marking planks
- 486x32x18mm - 4 pcs.;
- 154x32x18mm - 4 pcs.;
- 424x32x18mm - 2 pcs.;
- 600x32x18mm - 10 pcs.;
- 564x32x18mm - 2 pcs.;
- 564x32x18mm - 12 pcs.;
- 564x32x18mm - 1 piece;
- 392x32x18mm - 2 pcs. (cut at an angle of 45°);
- 424x32x18mm - 2 pcs. (cut at an angle of 45°).
Guide holes
Main node
Steel legs
Next, they begin to equip the steel legs on which the entire structure will stand. Cut off iron corner(500x50x50x3 mm - 4 pcs.) and holes for screws are cut. Make sure the holes are in opposite pairs. In case not welding equipment, can be used and wooden legs, but it should be noted that such a support will be less reliable and will begin to rot and deteriorate over time.
Attaching the legs
Facing
When a beehive is made, the lining plays an important role. The shell is cut out and secured with screws, creating a partial overlap between the sections. For this you will need additional material(wood or chipboard is used).
Entrance to the hive
You need to cut a hole for the bees to enter the hive, which is called an entrance. To create the taphole, special saws and a jigsaw are used. Size 460x70 mm. Don't throw away the scraps; they will be needed later.
Front view
The hinges are attached to the door so that there are wooden sections underneath them (to support it when opening). The heel is attached under the outlet. A screwdriver is used for this.
Landing board
The landing board is installed in such a way that it does not interfere with the tray that will be installed on the frame. Next, paint is applied in a thin layer. To clean the surface, use a grinding machine and sandpaper.
Ending
Every beekeeper knows that natural shelters serve as a refuge for wild bees, which, for example, can be a hollow tree. But if you decide to start breeding these hardworking insects, then you will have to make every effort to ensure satisfactory working and rest conditions. And this presents a number of difficulties. Of course, there is no shortage of such information; beekeeping books describe in detail the entire process of organizing a hive, but this article is intended to convey to the reader in the most simplified and structured manner all the information necessary for correct selection and installation of the hive.
Types of hives
Before you start building a hive for bees, you need to clearly understand what type of hive you have decided to build. There are many various types houses for bees, each of which has its own pros and cons. Detailed description each type is not the purpose of this article, since this information is available in any sources on beekeeping. In this regard, it should be noted that the main types of hives are vertical (riser) and horizontal (bed).
vertical hive
The vertical one is a two- or three-tier structure containing up to ten frames in each tier. An increase in the volume of the structure is achieved by installing additional buildings or stores.
horizontal hive
Horizontal hives in their shape resemble elongated horizontal boxes, which can be enlarged with the help of additional installation new buildings on the side.
How to make a beehive with your own hands?
So, it’s time to answer the questions: “How to make a beehive with your own hands?” and “What is needed for this?” Let's start from the very beginning.
If you are determined to please your bee dynasty with new comfortable apartments, then you should clearly know that the hive is designed to provide:
Firstly, reliable protection from temperature changes and any changes in meteorological conditions, since bees are extremely fastidious insects.
Secondly, the home must be equipped with a view to the side and ceiling types insulation, which also protects bees from changes in the meteorological situation, namely, in winter from excessively low temperatures, and in summer from excessively high temperatures.
Thirdly, the hive must be spacious and allow for possible expansion of the structure, taking into account the increase in the number of members of the bee family, as well as food reserves.
And finally, each beekeeper must create a hive that is convenient in all respects, not only for bees, but also for his own maintenance. The hive must be durable and wear-resistant, well ventilated, and also have strong fastenings and interchangeable parts, which makes the design convenient in case of movement or maintenance.
materials we need
To make hives you will need following materials: boards of varying widths made from soft wood. They must be well dried and free from unnecessary irregularities and roughness. Choose even boards, with a width half a centimeter greater than the width of the hive walls. This is necessary for reserve in case of stripping parts.
Also, it is necessary to prepare nails of the proper diameter that will not damage the integrity of the material. We must not forget that in order to maintain optimal appearance The hive is painted after two to three years.
hive dimensions
Determining the size of the hive is an extremely important moment, since this is the basic rule for the construction of hives. There are universal sizes suitable for hives of any design.
1. The distance between the mediastinum of two adjacent frames is 37.5 mm.
2.Passages for bees, called streets - 12.5 mm. If you decide to install a second housing, the distance between the upper bars of the nesting frames and the lower bars should be 10 mm.
4. The distance from the front and back walls of the hive to the side bars of the frames is 7.5 mm.
5. Between the bottom bar of the nesting frame and the bottom - 20 mm.
If you have mastered the basic dimensions of the hive, then you can easily cope with the calculations of additional quantities that will be required in the process of preparing the hive.
components of the hive
Anyone who decides to make a hive with their own hands needs to know that its structure includes the following components:
manufacturing technique
To make a roof you will need 20 mm wide boards or plywood, which is used in two layers. First of all, you need to take care of the strapping. Its dimensions are 455*455 mm. To make it, you will need boards 15 cm wide. The perimeter of the strapping is complemented by strips that prevent the lid from slipping. A lid coated with oil paint is installed on top.
Canvas is not mandatory element hive and is used during maintenance. It is a piece of burlap used to close the holes that form in the lid.
The dimensions of the insulating pad should not greatly exceed the dimensions of the hive and amount to 455 * 455 mm. It is made in the form of a pillow filled with moss or dry grass.
Main constructive solution for the bottom it is made in the form of a simple bottom, indented from the border of the frame by 20 mm. It must match the size of the hive and be nailed to the hive. There are designs in which the bottom remains unattached.
For the manufacture of walls, boards measuring 20 mm are used. They must be tightly fitted at all distances and tightly fastened with tongues.
Another essential element of bee apartments is the diaphragm. It is designed to separate the bee nest from empty space. To make it, you will need ten-millimeter plywood, to which the sides are attached. It should be a mobile element of the hive. Which can be easily removed and inserted.
The frames are made of slats, the material for which is birch or aspen.
hive assembly
Before assembling the hive, you need to prepare four walls, the dimensions and drawings of which are presented below. Then the front wall is connected to the side ones, and then the back wall of the hive is attached. The next step is to hang two nesting frames on the sides of the hive. After this, the floor is attached to the bottom edge, or a mesh is inserted to replace it.
Don't forget about the entrance, which is cut out on the front surface of the hive. The assembled hive is placed on the floor. A pillow and insulating canvas are placed on top, which will support the desired temperature regime in the hive and covered with a lid.
DIY polystyrene foam hive
If you decide to use a polystyrene foam hive, you should familiarize yourself with its pros and cons. Of course there are more advantages, but there are also disadvantages. The advantages are good thermal insulation, lightness, and fairly simple manufacturing. Disadvantages are associated with the tendency of the hive walls to damage, as well as with the penetration of light into the cracks between the walls. All shortcomings can be compensated for by good maintainability and low manufacturing costs.
