My Source List for Building Beehives
Stack of freshly painted hive-bodies.
I often get asked what I buy and where I get my components from when it comes to building my hives. Entering into your first experience of shopping for components to build your first beehives can be daunting, even tho the beehives themselves are extraordinarily simple. There is very little product differentiation – only so many things you can do with a Langstroth hive – so you see a lot of redundant sources, nearly identical prices in some cases, and you’re forced to do the eeny, meeny, miny, mo thing in deciding who to buy your woodenware from. Since beekeepers often get asked about their own preferred sources – and having been in the asking position before, I figure I’ll list my preferences here. Note that I have not ever purchased a “Kit” that many of these retailers sell. Often the kits come with 5.4mm plastic foundation and I’m very particular about my frames and keeping my bees on natural comb.
Every beekeeper ends up settling on their own preferred sources so this is just a basic guide. It’s what has worked for me tho I’m sure there’s always room for improvement. Here is my basic shopping list for my hives. Remember, buying in bulk often saves you a bit – many have price cuts at 5 or more components for the major hive components and a price break on frames purchased by the case.
Telescoping Cover:
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/10-Frame-Telescoping-Top/productinfo/667/
Inner Cover:
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/10-Frame-Goble-Inner-Cover/productinfo/671/
Bottom Board:
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/10-Frame-Cypress-Bottom-Board/productinfo/668/
Hive Body:
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_37&products_id=62
I usually buy a case:
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_37&products_id=61
Frames:
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_39&products_id=91
I also buy these by the case too:
50 –> https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_39&products_id=92
or:
100 –> https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_39&products_id=95
All the stuff I buy from Dadant I order over the phone from their Paris, TX office – shipping is a bit cheaper that way. Find a branch near you:
http://www.dadant.com/branch/
Basic accoutrements includes frame eyelets and wire:
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=25_49
…don’t forget the eyelet punch on page two:
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=25_49&sort=2a&page=2
Beyond that, Titebond III glue works well for me. There are those that swear by Gorilla Glue, but for me cleanup is easier with the Titebond. Just glue and nail your boxes together – making sure they are square when you do so. Prime and paint or seal the wood however you want or perhaps not even – I know some that just leave their wood untreated. Admittedly, I do have my old unpainted TBH equipment sitting out in the weather and it’s still looking pretty good after more than three years – more than four for one, so I have given serious thought to just not painting mine. But we’re relatively dry here so I could probably get away with it better than woodenware sitting in a moist meadow. The advantage of not painting is that the hives tend to blend better with the background, which makes them less a target for complaining neighbors and from thieves.
For the frames, I use a frame jig http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Frame-Assembly-Jig/productinfo/911/ which has proven well worth the money, and I put one nail in thru the top-bar of every frame to hold it tight while the glue sets, and then just glue the bottom-bar.
Here’s how I did my footers:
http://www.naturalbeefarm.com/2010/04/23/easy-footers/
I used chamfer trim on my foundationless frames for comb guides, but may opt for tongue depressor sticks on my next set:
http://www.naturalbeefarm.com/2010/04/23/foundationless-frames/
In the spirit of shopping around, here are links to some of the major suppliers that I’ve shopped at or plan on shopping at:
Mann Lake: http://www.mannlakeltd.com/
Dadant: https://www.dadant.com/catalog/
Walter T. Kelley: http://www.kelleybees.com/
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm: http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/
Better Bee: http://www.betterbee.com/
If explaining my logic is remotely possible, here’s my thoughts on my shopping list. For me, the less assembly that’s required the better, with limits dictated by economics, of course. For instance, assembled hive bodies are a bit more expensive than unassembled hive-bodies. I opted for getting my telescoping covers from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm because they’re already assembled and are pretty good quality. I’ve used Better Bee’s telescoping covers before too and theirs is also pretty good quality. Since I buy other stuff that only Brushy Mountain Bee Farm has I often group my purchases together. The inner cover Brushy Mountain sells has a nifty little notch in it so that it can double as a top-entrance if needed. And I like the cypress bottom-board Brushy Mountain sells for longevity. Since I buy my hive-bodies and frames in large, heavy cases, I order those from their Texas branch to save a bit on shipping. I avoid kits and pre-made frames because often they’re filled with plastic 5.4mm foundation and I don’t use foundation, preferring to allow my bees to make their own comb that is often 4.7 to 4.9mm in cell size.
It’s really as simple as that.
