Building Beehives FOR. DUMmIES

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3 Building Beehives FOR DUMmIES

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5 Building Beehives FOR DUMmIES by Howland Blackiston

6 Building Beehives For Dummies Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) , fax (201) , or online at permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax For technical support, please visit Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit Library of Congress Control Number: ISBN (pbk); ISBN (ebk); (ebk); ISBN (ebk) Manufactured in the United States of America

7 About the Author Howland Blackiston has been a backyard beekeeper since 1984 and an artist and craftsman all his life. He s written hundreds of articles and has appeared on dozens of television and radio programs, including shows on the Discovery Channel, CNBC, CNN, NPR, Sirius XM Radio, and scores of regional shows. He has been a keynote speaker at conferences and events in more than 40 countries. Howland is the past president of Connecticut s Back Yard Beekeepers Association, one of the nation s largest regional clubs for the hobbyist beekeeper. Howland, his wife, Joy, and their bees live in Weston, Connecticut. Howland is the author of Beekeeping For Dummies, 2nd Edition, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. You can reach Howland by . He d love to hear from you: howland@buildingbeehives.com.

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9 Dedication I dedicate this book to my beautiful wife, Joy, who has patiently spent many evenings and weekends alone while I worked on this book. She is, and always will be, the queen bee of my universe. Author s Acknowledgments Writing this book has been a labor of love, thanks to the wonderful folks at John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Senior Acquisitions Editor Tracy Boggier, who approached me in the first place about creating this companion piece to Beekeeping For Dummies; Senior Project Editor Georgette Beatty, whose sound advice and superb organizational skills kept me focused and on schedule; and Copy Editor Todd Lothery, whose supreme wordsmithing elevated my narrative into something to be proud of. Also many thanks to the composition team at Wiley, who handled nearly everything to do with the way the words and images ultimately appear on the page. Kudos to cartoonist Rich Tennant (I m a big fan), who has the enviable ability to take any topic and find the humor in it. Special thanks to my friend Michael Lund, who generously served as my technical consultant on this project. Michael is not only a gifted craftsman and woodworker but also a supremely knowledgeable and innovative beekeeper. That s a great combination when it comes to building beehives! New York beekeeper Andrew Coté contributed his urban beekeeping wisdom to Chapter 2, Michael Paoletto graciously shared his plans for making a Kenya top bar hive (Chapter 5), Ellen Zampino provided the inspiration for the elevated hive stand (Chapter 13), and Dennis Murrell allowed me to adapt his plans for the four-frame observation hive (Chapter 7). Felix Freudzon, of Freudzon Design International, expertly created the 3-D instructional illustrations in the book. Early on, as I was deciding what topics I should cover in this book, a number of the members of Connecticut s Back Yard Beekeepers Association participated in a focus group at my home. Their insights and suggestions were very helpful in homing in on the topics that would become the contents of the book. Many thanks to Jon Dickey, Joe Fischer, Jerry Goodwin, John Grimshaw, Leslie Huston, Gabriele Kallenborn, Michael Lund, Marina Marchese, Bobbie Meyzen, and Mike Paoletto.

10 Publisher s Acknowledgments We re proud of this book; please send us your comments at For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites Senior Project Editor: Georgette Beatty Senior Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Copy Editor: Todd Lothery Assistant Editor: David Lutton Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen Technical Editor: Garry Reeves Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistant: Alexa Koschier Cover Photo: Howland Blackiston Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( Composition Services Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Creasey, Joyce Haughey, Christin Swinford, Erin Zeltner Proofreaders: John Greenough, Betty Kish Indexer: Glassman Indexing Services Illustrator: Felix Freudzon, Freudzon Design Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher David Palmer, Associate Publisher Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

11 Contents at a Glance Introduction... 1 Part I: The Buzz on Beehives... 7 Chapter 1: Getting Sweet on Building Your Own Beehives... 9 Chapter 2: Comb Sweet Comb: Beehive Basics Chapter 3: Gathering Basic Tools and Materials Chapter 4: Fine-Tuning Your Carpentry Skills Part II: The World s Most Popular Beehive Designs Chapter 5: The Kenya Top Bar Hive Chapter 6: The Five-Frame Nuc Hive Chapter 7: The Four-Frame Observation Hive Chapter 8: The Warré Hive Chapter 9: The British National Hive Chapter 10: The Langstroth Hive Part III: Sweet Beehive Accessories Chapter 11: The Frame Jig Chapter 12: The Double Screened Inner Cover Chapter 13: The Elevated Hive Stand Chapter 14: The IPM Screened Bottom Board Chapter 15: The Hive-Top Feeder Chapter 16: The Solar Wax Melter Chapter 17: Langstroth Frames Part IV: The Part of Tens Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Tips for Extending the Life of Your Equipment Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Ways to Trick Out Your Hives Chapter 20: Ten Fun Facts about Beehives Index

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13 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 About This Book... 1 Conventions Used in This Book... 2 What You re Not to Read... 3 Foolish Assumptions... 3 How This Book Is Organized... 3 Part I: The Buzz on Beehives... 3 Part II: The World s Most Popular Beehive Designs... 4 Part III: Sweet Beehive Accessories... 4 Part IV: The Part of Tens... 4 Icons Used in This Book... 5 Where to Go from Here... 5 Part I: The Buzz on Beehives... 7 Chapter 1: Getting Sweet on Building Your Own Beehives... 9 Bee-ing in the Know about Bees... 9 Honeybees most important job: Pollination The products of the honeybee The main players in a beehive Appreciating the Benefits of Building a Beehive Rather than Buying One Have fun and feel self-satisfaction Enhance your commitment to beekeeping, and better understand your bees home Modify designs to better meet your needs Enjoy better quality than store-bought kits Go green and recycle Make building a family affair Sell your handiwork Making Plans for Your Own Beehive Setting Up Your Workshop Assembling Tools and Materials Getting a Handle on Carpentry Skills Constructing Hives and Accessories Chapter 2: Comb Sweet Comb: Beehive Basics Knowing What Bees Need in a Hive Shelter and safety The ability to expand Dry and well-ventilated conditions A nearby source of water... 22

14 xii Building Beehives For Dummies Understanding the Anatomy of a Beehive Elevated hive stand Bottom board Entrance reducer Deep hive bodies Honey super Frames Inner cover Outer cover Looking at Locale Following regional laws and requirements Bee-ing sweet to your neighbors Picking the perfect location Making a Beeline to the Hive That s Best for Your Needs A hive for learning and teaching Hives for pollinating your garden A hive for harvesting honey Hives to match your building skills Hives for selling A handy table to help you decide the hive to build Chapter 3: Gathering Basic Tools and Materials Bee-ing Safe Before You Begin Protecting yourself with safety gear Following safety practices Oops! Planning for emergencies Talking about Tools A few essential hand tools The right saws and blades Gadgets that are nice to have but not essential Looking at Lumber Choosing lumber Sizing up lumber Getting the scoop on plywood The Buzz on Other Building Materials Fixating on fasteners Rifling through roofing materials Selecting screening materials Protecting Your Beehives with Paint and More Estimating the Amounts and Costs of Materials Chapter 4: Fine-Tuning Your Carpentry Skills Always Adhering to the Bee Space Measuring and Marking Lumber Cutting Lumber What s Up with This Joint? Butt joints Rabbet cuts and dado joints Finger joints... 61

15 Table of Contents xiii Working with Flashing and Wire Cutting and bending metal flashing Cutting and shaping wire hardware cloth Assembling the Parts of Your Hive Going with glue Being square Nailing and screwing everything together Part II: The World s Most Popular Beehive Designs Chapter 5: The Kenya Top Bar Hive Vital Stats Materials List Cut List Elevated hive stand Hive body Top bars Ventilated roof Assembling the Hive Chapter 6: The Five-Frame Nuc Hive Vital Stats Materials List Cut List Bottom board Hive body Inner hive cover Outer hive cover Assembling the Hive Chapter 7: The Four-Frame Observation Hive Vital Stats Materials List Cut List Hive body and top Bottom board Assembling the Hive Chapter 8: The Warré Hive Vital Stats Materials List Cut List Hive bottom and stand Hive boxes Top bars Quilt box Ventilated roof Assembling the Hive