How To Build a Beehive: A DIY Guide

 Beekeeping, or apiculture, is a rewarding way to connect with nature while supporting environmental health. With over 115,000 beekeepers in the United States, more people are discovering the joys of maintaining their own hives. Beekeeping produces honey, beeswax, and other valuable byproducts, but the benefits go far beyond these rewards. Bees are essential pollinators, playing a vital role in the health of local ecosystems. 

Building a beehive from scratch is an advanced DIY project, but it can save you money and give you a sense of accomplishment when you complete it. This guide will walk through how to build a Langstroth hive, the most common type for urban beekeepers.

Understanding the Langstroth Hive Design

The Langstroth hive, invented in the mid-1800s, revolutionized beekeeping with its practical design. It’s made of stackable boxes with removable frames, allowing beekeepers to easily inspect and harvest honey without disturbing the entire colony.

Parts of a Langstroth Hive

A Langstroth hive is composed of several components, each with a specific purpose:

• Outer Cover: Protects the hive from weather elements and provides an additional layer of insulation against extreme temperatures and precipitation.
• Inner Cover: Provides insulation and prevents bees from sealing the outer cover, making it easier to access and inspect the hive when needed.
• Honey Super: This is where the bees store excess honey, which can later be harvested without affecting the vital areas of the hive.
• Queen Excluder: Keeps the queen in the brood chamber to ensure she lays her eggs only in designated areas, preventing brood from being found in honey supers.
• Brood Chamber: The core of the hive, where the queen lays eggs and young bees develop; it is vital for the growth and sustainability of the colony.
• Bottom Board: Forms the floor of the hive, providing a stable base and protection from the elements and potential predators.
• Hive Stand: Elevates the hive off the ground, cutting down on moisture and promoting better airflow through the hive.

Tools and Materials Needed

Before starting the project, gather the necessary tools and materials for a smooth building process and a well-constructed hive for your bees.

Essential Tools

You will need a few tools for this project:

• Drill: For making precise holes and facilitating assembly.
• Hand Saw and Table Saw: Necessary for cutting wood to the correct sizes, allowing for the precise fits required.
• Dado Stack Blade: Enables the creation of grooves, essential for fitting the pieces together securely.
• Tin Snips: Useful for cutting the aluminum sheeting that will cover the hive’s outer cover.
• Measuring Tape and Pencil: For accurate measuring and marking.
• Safety Gear: Including safety glasses and work gloves to ensure your protection during construction.

Required Materials

Choose your materials wisely:

• Untreated Lumber (various sizes): To prevent chemicals from affecting the bees, use untreated wood.
• Wood Glue and Screws: For securely assembling the hive components.
• Beeswax for Foundation: Encourages bees to draw out combs naturally.
• Frames: Essential for the honey super and brood chamber.
• Aluminum Sheet for Cover: Provides weather protection for the hive.

Selecting the Right Wood for Your Beehive

Which wood you use can significantly impact the durability and success of a beehive. Each type of wood has its own unique characteristics and benefits, and will affect how well the hive functions over time.

Cypress

Cypress is attractive and resistant to decay, making it a strong option both for looks and durability. The oils in cypress wood act as a natural insect repellent, reducing the likelihood of infestations and protecting the hive’s integrity over time.

Pine

Pine is affordable and easy to work with, making it a popular choice for many beekeepers. However, it does require exterior protection, such as paint or varnish, for longevity to shield the wood from weather-related wear. This extends its lifespan while also allowing beekeepers on a budget to build a reliable and effective hive.

Cedar

Cedar is naturally resistant to rot and insects. While more expensive, its durability and pleasant aroma make it a premium option for beehives. The resilience of cedar keeps the hive strong and sturdy through various weather conditions, making it an excellent investment for long-term beekeeping.

Spruce and Fir

Spruce and fir are better woods for internal components like frames, as they’re not as weather-resistant as other options. They’re sturdy but lightweight, which makes them convenient for interior structures where direct exposure to the elements is minimal while still providing support where needed.

Costs Involved

The table below shows average prices for the tools and materials required for your DIY beehive. These costs will vary depending on what you must buy, how much of each product you use, and the tools you already have.

Preparing Your Workspace

Set up a proper workspace for efficient and safe beehive construction. Choose a well-ventilated area with ample room to move around, such as a garage or outdoor workshop. Make sure you have good lighting for precision work and a stable work surface to avoid mishaps. Having all tools and materials organized and within reach will streamline the building process for a steady workflow.

Step-by-Step Guide To Building a Beehive

Here’s how to build your own Langstroth beehive at home.

Step 1: Build the Hive Stand

Start by creating a stable base for your hive. The hive stand doesn’t connect to the rest of the hive. Its sole purpose is to keep the beehive up off the ground and away from potential threats like rot, termites, and moisture.

Build a simple stand by setting the hive on cinder blocks. Stands should be over a foot tall to keep the structure safe while making hive maintenance more manageable. Level the stand to provide a stable foundation and facilitate airflow and drainage. You can add beehive boxes as needed. More hive space will encourage your bee colony to grow and increase its honey production.

Step 2: Assemble the Bottom Board and Inner Cover

The bottom board serves as the hive’s foundation and the entry point for bees. 

Use the dado stack to create a groove in the center of two 1-by-3-inch boards. You’ll slide the bottom board into the groove to form the base of the hive. After cutting grooves into the sides, attach them to the backboard by drilling screws into the connecting parts.

Once you have an outer frame for the bottom board, you’ll apply wood glue to the grooves. Slide the bottom board in, drilling screws into the sides for added support.

The inner cover is on the opposite end of the beehive, but it’s the same structure as the bottom board. The notch on a hive’s inner cover sits under the outer cover. Repeat the building process of the bottom board to create your hive’s inner cover. Drill a hole in the middle of the cover’s surface to provide ventilation.

Attach these to a backboard, then slide in the bottom board, securing it with screws and wood glue for extra stability. For the inner cover, follow a similar process, but include a ventilation hole in the center to allow air circulation within the hive and prevent condensation buildup.

After cutting grooves into the sides, attach them to the backboard by drilling screws into the connecting parts.

Once you have an outer frame for the bottom board, you’ll apply wood glue to the grooves. Slide the bottom board in, drilling screws into the sides for added support.

The inner cover is on the opposite end of the beehive, but it’s the same structure as the bottom board. The notch on a hive’s inner cover sits under the outer cover. Repeat the building process of the bottom board to create your hive’s inner cover. Drill a hole in the middle of the cover’s surface to provide ventilation.

Step 3: Construct the Hive Body and Honey Super

The hive body and brood box honey super are both boxlike structures that hold frames for the bees to live in and store honey.  Cut 1-by-10-inch boards for the hive body walls, then cut an open-ended groove known as a “rabbet” at the top of the boards. The wood rabbets will form a lip that holds the queen excluder.

Create rabbets at the top of each board to support frames so you can remove them easily for inspections and honey extraction. Assemble the box using wood glue and screws, making sure to get a snug fit without gaps.

The honey super follows the same construction method but may be shallower, since it primarily stores the surplus honey your bees produce.

Step 4: Create the Outer Cover

Build a simple box lid using 1-by-3-inch boards for the sides and a piece of plywood for the top. Construct the cover using the same materials you used for the bottom board. However, you won’t cut dado grooves into the sides of the outer cover. You’ll glue and drill the 1-by-10-inch boards directly onto the walls to form a roof. 

Weatherproof the wooden lid by covering it with an aluminum flashing sheet. Use the tin snips to cut the aluminum sheet to size. Then, attach the tin to the outer cover with construction glue, using a hammer to press it flat. You want the cover to fit securely but you should be able to remove it without much effort for hive access.

You’ll want to cut an open-ended groove known as a “rabbet” at the top of the boards. The wood rabbets will form a lip that holds the queen excluder.

Connect the four walls with wood glue and screws.

Step 5: Add an Entrance Reducer

Next, you’ll add an entrance reducer to the base of the hive body. Make an entrance reducer by cutting a small piece out of any leftover aluminum. Then, attach it to the hive body with nails or screws. This helps control access to the hive, protecting against pests and regulating temperature within the hive. Adjust the size of the entrance as needed, especially during colder months to conserve heat. 

The entrance reducer is an opening that allows honeybees to enter the hive, but not other pests like mice. 

Make an entrance reducer by cutting a small piece out of any leftover aluminum. Then, attach it to the hive body with nails or screws.

Step 6: Install Frames

Most hives have 8–10 frames in the hive body and honey super, depending on the size of each section. Place frames inside the hive body and honey super, maintaining proper spacing. The “bee space” rule of ⅜ inches between frames is crucial for proper hive function. Bees will produce extra honeycomb to fill the gaps if you leave too much space. But if you place the frames too close together, the bees will fill the nooks with propolis, a sticky sealant.

Step 7: Finish and Weatherproof

Sand any rough edges to prevent splinters and apply an exterior-grade primer followed by paint to protect the wood. Avoid painting interior surfaces or areas that will contact bees directly, as the chemicals can be harmful to them. This final step make your hive look nicer and improve its durability against various weather conditions.

Stocking Your New Beehive

With the hive constructed, it’s time to introduce bees. Newly constructed hives need to be populated with bees for them to become active and productive, and there are two primary ways to do that:

Purchasing a Package of Bees or a Nucleus Hive

This is the most straightforward option for beginners. Contacting a local supplier will get you a colony suited to your area’s climate and environment, giving you a better chance of successful hive establishment, but you can also look at online suppliers and select a package of bees or a nucleus hive.

Bee packages typically contain a queen bee, a few worker bees, and a supply of food to get the colony started. An edible barrier will separate the queen bee from the rest of the colony until they get accustomed to one another. Acclimation occurs as the worker bees eat their way through the barrier, gaining familiarity with their new queen. 

Buy a nucleus hive to bypass the acclimation process. A nucleus hive is a preestablished colony with honeycomb frames, worker bees, brood, and a queen. These hives are excellent for new beekeepers looking to jump-start their hives.

For beginners, buying bees is often the easiest and most reliable method. Contact local beekeeping associations for reputable suppliers in your area who can provide guidance and support.

Capturing a Wild Swarm

This option is more recommended for experienced beekeepers, but capturing a wild swarm is a good way to establish a resilient bee population. However, this method requires timely intervention and a good understanding of bee behavior to avoid mishaps and ensure that you can safely transfer the swarm to your hive.

This tutorial video from Bee Built explains how to catch and install a swarm:

Alternatives to the Langstroth Hive

While the Langstroth hive is popular, other designs may suit different needs and preferences.

Top-Bar Hives

These simple, horizontal hives consist of a single box with removable bars. Bees build comb downward from these bars, making honey harvesting straightforward. Top-bar hives are often favored by hobbyists for their simplicity and ease of management. Unlike the more structured Langstroth, top-bar hives allow bees more freedom in how they build their combs, potentially contributing to natural behavior patterns and hive health.

Warre Hives

Designed to mimic natural bee habitats, Warre hives use smaller, stackable boxes. They require less intervention, making them ideal for those seeking a more hands-off approach to beekeeping. The Warre hive’s emphasis on minimal interference aligns with beekeepers who prefer to observe their bees’ natural habits, providing a balance between human management and bee autonomy.

The bars don’t contain a hive foundation like the frames in a Langstroth hive — you can remove the entire piece of comb to harvest the honey. These hives are another solid choice for easy honey harvesting.