While Langstroths and top bar hives made of nice cedar and pine are wonderful, over the years I have seen some pretty interesting beehives built from basically junk. Personally I recycled an old waterbarrel into my broodbox with a platform on the top to fit regular boxes.
Anyone one here built or seen interesting recycled beehive builds?
I have a hive in ( 2) 48 quart igloo ice chest top bar styleframes in it but its cross coned badly it is good for pollinations that was the intent know I am buying the Langworth’s.Problems with the ice chest the bees eat the foam and it gives the beetles hiding places no removable bottom board either its kind of a mess now . They survived the winter but I am in south MS.
That’s an awesome reuse of an old water barrel. If I get your idea, the brood box could be any bee-acceptable shape, but the supers need to be regularly sized to accept standard frames for honey harvesting. Is that right?
Please post a photo.
That’s why the barrel is the brood box, it’s there for a nice spacious area for the bees to fill with eggs and winter food supply. I built in plywood “frames” that fill it up for the bees to build off of. On top of the is a wooden platform that fits regular 8 frame longstrath boxes.
I would post images but apparently I am too “new” to post images.
I can now not only post some pics but also a video of my first inspection!
The top box is a regular super but mostly I just wanted something reasonably small to let the package get established in before opening them up to the barrel section.