New Beekeeping

CONSTRUCTION
INFORMATION
for DARTINGTON HIVES

with full details of the

DARTINGTON
LONG DEEP HIVE

Robin Dartington
The author

Robin Dartington made his first Long De~p Hives around

1975, when keeping bees on the roof of a five-storey ~ouse
in London. New Beekeeping- has now been developed Into a
comprehensive system for keeping bees for recreation with
maximum enjoyment- and minimum labour!

Bees can be kept in a wide range of gardens - but

operating the hive must be safe for beekeeper and
neighbours, and there must be a reliable management
approach that avoids the issue of swarms. Hives must also
look good and add to the attractiveness of the garden.
Junk such as odd stands, piles of old supers and even
rarely used nucleus hives should be avoided. A Dartington
Long Deep hive includes all the features needed to manage
a colony throughout the whole of the season.
The management system for the Dartington Long Deep
Hive is fully described in the Manual of New Beekeeping,
2007, available direct from the author. The Manual is a lOO-
page A4 book containing many colour illustrations. The
2007 edition costs £15 plus £1.50 p&p.
Construction Information provides full details for making
the. Dar~ngton Long Deep Hive for your own use. The
design IS copyright and written permission must be
obtained before the in£ · .
ormation ts used for the purposes of
any trade.
 Construction
Information

for

Dartington
Hives

with full details for making the

'manor' and 'country' models
of the
Dartington Long Deep Hive

Robin Dartington
 First printed:
December 2000

Reprinted:
February 2001
Apri12001
May 2001
July 2001
August2001

Revised:
November 2001
January 2002
February 2002
March 2002
Apri12002
November 2002
Apri12003
December 2004
February 2005
April2005
October 2005
October 2006
January 2007
Apri12008
October 2011

Published by

Bee Books new & old

Ash View
lump Lane
Much Birch
Herefordshire HR2 BHP

ISBN 978-0-905652-68-9

Copyright © April 2003 by Robin Dartington

. . r
'a;·use maY
Robin Dsrtington has asserted his right to be regarded as the author and owner of the copyright of thiS publiCS
be made for the purposes of construction of hives for the personal use of the constructor. No use may be ma e
tor the

purposes of any trade without the written permission of the author. . ·ncluding
11
No part of this publication may be reproducad or transmitted in any form by any means electrical or mechamca '
photocopy, without the permission in writing of the author

2
.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................................... S

1. ALTERNATIVE STYLES OF THE OLD HIVE ....................................................................................... 7

Parts of the country and manor OLD hive........................................................................................ 7
2. SUMMARY OF THE DESIGN OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................9
Comparison with conventional hives .............. ...................................................... ......................... 10
Safety when lifting................................................................... .............................................. ....... 10
Internal length and volume ........................................................................................................... 11
Key dimensions - applying to all OLD hives .......................................................... ...................... ... 12
3. NOTES ON MAKING OLD HIVES ................................................................................................... 13
Strength of joints ................. .... ........ .... ...... .... ............................................................................... 13
Tools and materials ....................................................................................................................... 13
Quality of materials ....................................................................................................................... 13
Accuracy in cutting ....................................................................................................................... 14
Preparation of cut components before assembly ................................................................. .......... 14
Thickness of joints ......................................................................................................................... 14
Pinning ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Making up 'sub-assemblies'. ......................................................................................................... 15
Checking for distortion of the body during assembly................ ..................................................... 15
Pairing ................................... ....... ....... .................. ....................................................................... 15
Roof tops ...................................................................................................................................... 16
Preserving ............................. ........................................................................................................ 16
Painting ........................................................................................................................................ 16
Your first hive .. ............................................................................................................................. 17
4. OVERALL SECTIONS ....................................................................................................................... 18
5. COMPONENTS, CUmNG DIAGRAMS AND ASSEMBLY NOTES ................................................ 20
Table A: Materials list & indicative costs ........................................................................................ 21
Table B: All components listed by material & size .......................................................................... 23
CUTTING DIAGRAMS ......................................................................................................................... 25
Layout 18mm (18mm plywood, 2440 x 1220mm) .................................................................... 26
Layout 9mm (9mm plywood) .... ...................................................................................... ......... 27
Layout 2-9mm (9mm plywood) ..... .................. .... ... .................................................................. 28
Layout 6mm (6mm plywood) ....... ...... ......................... ..... .................. .............. .......... ............ .29
Layout - softwood battens..... ..................................... ........... .. ................ .............. .... ................... 30
Layout - hardwood angles 12 x 12mm .................................................................................... .... .32
Table C: All components listed by parts of the hive ....................................................................... 33
Table D: All fixings .......... ... ........................................................................ ................................ .. 34
ASSEMBLY NOTES .............................................................................................................................35
FLAT-ROOF for 'manor 'hive ... ... ........................................ ................... ... ... ................................. 35
PENT-ROOF for 'country' hive (but any roof fits any hive ) .......................................................... .36
Alternative of a GABLED ROOF that can be cut to two halves ...... .. .. .......................................... .38
BODY...... .................. ................................... ............................. ........... ...................... ................... 40
LANDING BOARDS & ENTRANCE BLOCKS ..... ...................... .... ................................................. ..... 44
1 DIVIDER & 2 DUMMY FRAMES............... ................ .............. .................. ..................... ... ............ 45
5 COVER BOARDS & 2 CLEARER BOARDS ..... .... .............................................................. ............. .46
5 HONEY-BOXES............... ...................................................... ............. ........ ........ .. ......... ..............47
4 LEGS - straight for 'manor' hive ................................................................................................ 49
4 LEGS tapered for 'country' hive (alternative) ............................................................................. 50
2 CARRYBOXES I NUCLEUS HIVES............................................... ........... ..................................... ..52
6. PLASTIC FITTINGS:- VARROA TRAYS AND FEEDERS .................................................................. 54
7. A SIMPLE SAW GUIDE ......................... ,......................................................................................... 56

8. RANGE OF SIZES OF DARTINGTON HIVES ....................,.............................................................. 58

9. POSTSCRIPT.................................................................................................................................... 60

3
 OLD 'country' model' for garden use-
The roof is shown as one piece, gabled' but it is now recommend~d that the roof
is made in two parts to further minimise the weight to be lifted

Home made 'no nonsense 'manor' model for out apiaries

• inconspicuous if painted dark green
• straight legs can be longer and sunk into the ground to resist overturning
• the flat roof is simple to make and wide eaves throw off rain
• shown without the standard honey-boxes

The plastic 'carry-all' shown underneath has had its handle cut off in order to hang within the hive.
As shown, it makes a two-trough feeder- it is normally cut in half to make two
shallow feeders, with a crumpled shopping bag pushed into the syrup to avoid bees drowning.

4
 Foreword
I have evolved the design and made my own hives over the last 40 years. lt is my hobby and it
adds more to beekeeping than the alternative of buying factory kits- it is also cheaper! These
plans make DIY construction possible for everyone who has the time and a rudimentary
knowledge of woodworking.

The Dartington Long Deep (DLD) hive has been exhibited at the National Honey Show since
2000 and at the BBKA Spring Convention from 2001 . Talks have been given to many
associations in the Kent/Cornwall/Cumbria triangle over the following years.

Dartington hives can be made in a range of lengths to suit different purposes, holding either
21 in the body (the DLD hive), or only 15 frames, or up to 27 frames (to help queen rearing).
The bodies are generally made to take BS deep frames '14x12' (DLD hive), topped w ith BS
shallow frames in the honeyboxes -or a shallower body can be made for BS standard brood
frames (DLS hive), in which case the honey boxes should also take BS Standard brood frames
to maintain the overall depth (12 + 6 = 18 =9 + 9). Using one frame size throughout a hive
has some advantages. Those two hives have the same volume. Or if you get above-average
crops, of course you can use the deeper honeyboxes on a DLD hive.

I recommend starting with the Dartington Long Deep (DLD) hive, holding 21 deep frames
'14x12' in the body and 20 Manley shallow frames in 4 honeyboxes, as the best hive for
beekeepers who keep their bees in a permanent location. Beekeepers who regularly move
hives may prefer a shorter hive holding only 15 frames, which should be placed on a loose
stand rather than on folding legs, to facilitate moving.

This edition of the construction manual is the result of many years work, and includes a
number of suggestions from beekeepers who have already made hives. lt provides
comprehensive instructions to enable you to make Dartington Long Deep hives holding 21 ' 14
x 12' frames, for your own use. Full details are given for the DLD hive. lt is easy to modify the
dimensions for the other sizes (outlined here in Section 8) -just add or subtract the length of
one honeybox (233mm).

Good luck and happy beekeeping! Come back to me with any questions. Consider
suggesting to your local association that they invite me to give a lecture/demonstration on
•.
:':
using the hive if that would be helpful. Remember there is a standing invitation to visit the
demonstration and training apiary in Hitchin Herts where you can handle hives and bees
before starting on your own . Just give me a ring on 077729 020 706 or leave a message on

01462 450 707.

Robin Dartington

5
 Further information
k eping to understand the use of
M nual of New Bee e
Once you have made your hive, read the a h oughout the year is illustrated
. M ing a colony t r
the special features of Dartington h1ves. anag
with photographic sequences.

The DLD hive - complete with accessories

OLD hive, complete with accessories -as included with a Stamfordham kit.

[1] a body for up to 21 deep frames '14 x 12'with permanent mesh floor- 4 cover boards
& 2 loose landing boards
[2] 4 honeyboxes each for 5 Manley shallow frames or 6 BS shallow frames
[3] a long roof- prop it at the entrance to act as a 'swarm board'
[AJ a spare 5th cover board and spare 5th honeybox
[BJ 2 carrying boxes I nucleus hives each taking 6 deep frames
[CJ 2 clearer boards
[DJ a division board

[EJ 2 narrow plastic shallow feeders and a plastic deep feeder if wanted (a single wider shallow
feeder is a sufficient alternative and is now included within a factory kit _ see page 56)
[FJ 2 dummy frames 14" x 12" that go front and back of the ,x , frames in the body (not
14 12
shown - the OLD hive holds 21 frames that need to b b h f dharn
e oug t separately from Stam or
Ltd or another bee supplier).

The two loose entrance restrictor blocks and two /, .

P ast!c varroa trays are not shown.

6
r

1. Alternative styles of the DLD hive

There are four styles or models to choose for your DIY hive -the 'town', 'country', 'villa' and

'manor'- see overleaf. This booklet gives details only for the 'country' and 'manor' models

because those are the simplest to make. You will need to make your own adjustments to

roofs and legs for other styles. The Stamfordham kit hive is offered only in the one style

illustrated.

The body and honey-boxes are all the same - models differ only in legs and roofs, which

nevertheless affect the image of the hive. The 'town' model evokes an ark (to look interesting

in a garden), the 'country' model'floats' above the ground when set in long grass in an out-

apiary, the 'manor' is a sturdy outside table. The gabled roof included in the Stamfordham kit

adds a touch of elegance but is not detailed here for home construction .

All roofs and legs will fit the standard body.

Parts of the 'country' and 'manor' OLD hive.

IL,________.P
Pent Roof Flat Roof

= 4= ==
Covers
Covers

ltdltdltdiQI
4 honeyboxes Honeyboxes

• •

c •• ·. ]
c:
~--------------~
:p

I
Body •
Body \
•

Inclined Vertical
tapered hlgs •
••
straight legs •

'country' 'manor'

7
Plywood hives need to be painted or sunlight will degrade the outer veneer. White is

traditional but as the hive design is modern, why not make your hive distinctive with an

individual colour combination to suit your own situation? I like an orange roof and legs with

a lighter yellow body for the country model- but it does make some traditionalists shudder!

All-over seaweed-green helps to make the manor model inconspicuous in the countryside.

Town model - hipped roof Country model - pent roof

8
2. Summary of the Design Objectives

Some beekeepers like to vary the details before even trying the published design. We all have

our own ideas! However, remember that a hive MUST include at least the following

distinctive features to qualify as a 'Dartington Long Deep' (OLD) hive:

• a double-length body to give space for dividing the colony into 'swarm' and 'parent'- so

avoiding need for additional boxes for swarm control and rearing of a replacement queen

• a tunnel entrance set below the floor at each end of the body, parallel to the frames-

this feature is essential to avoid draughts reaching the brood nest, which in turn ensures

the bees keep the brood nest both compact and near to the entrance

• a permanent mesh floor that avoids condensation in winter, helps to suppress the

varroa population (some live mites fall through and cannot return) and also enables the

beekeeper to monitor the level of infestation by measuring the natural fall of dead mites

• 4 honey-boxes, each half the size of National supers - to keep the maximum weight

that has to be lifted when operating the hive to 7kgs -which is within the guidelines of

the UK Health & Safety Executive.

Dartington hives are designed to be made economically of external grade plywood, with

attached softwood battens - components have been sized so that they can be cut from

standard sheets of plywood 8' x 4' (as shown later in the layouts) and from standard lengths

of softwood.

Using plywood does make the OLD hive heavy - but the management system does not require

the hive to be moved once set up. Panels made up of softwood planks would be lighter- but

it is difficult to keep large pieces of softwood sufficiently flat in use. Using thinner plywood is

not recommended- bees evolved to live within hollow trees and need some buffer form

external temperature.

9
Comparison with conventional hives
. · duced in the 1920's to encourage
The conventional British hive (the 'National' h1ve) was lntro
. _it was first described in catalogues of
beekeepers to move their hives to pollmate farm crops
. . . 85 standard brood frames only 8 S/8
the t1me as a 'commercial hive'. The Nat1onal h1ve uses
. b above for brood to give spave for
Inches deep so the bees need to use a second sha 11ow ox
'd 1 h pe for conserving heat. Manipulating
the bees to develop a nearly spherical nest- the I ea s a
l'fting the upper box on and off
a nest that extends into an upper box involves heavy Iabour 1
and disturbs the bees each time the nest is split apart horizontally.

The DLD hive reduces the labour involved in beekeeping by:

• using deep frames (14" x12 ") for brood, so that there is sufficient space for even the

best of queens on one level, eliminating any need for an upper brood box

• raising the body with a stand or legs to eliminate stooping when inspecting the brood

nest

• using honey-boxes that are half the length of National supers to reduce both the weight

to be lifted and the distance of the load from the beekeeper's back, so cutting strain on

the back by some three-quarters

• creating brackets on which to place honeyboxes when operating the hive by pushing the
entrance-blocks endwise into the rear entrance -so eliminating need to lower
honeyboxes right down to ground level (see page 48)

• providing handholds by using the sidebars at the top of the body to avoid lifting with a
bent back if the hive does ever have to be moved.

Note that an occupied hive should ALWAYS only be lifted between t wo peop1e - t h1·s
applies to ANY type of hive. A OLD hive can however be
moV<
ed short distances
· · ·
by l1ftmg
one end at a time and 'walking' it along.

Safety when lifting.

At t he time the National hive was introduced in the , .
1930
s, lt was normal for householders to
carry heavy loads such as coalscuttles. Today ma
I ny people r . I
IVe In abour saving homes. If you

10
are unused to heavy labour, lifting heavy loads can incur serious risk of back strain, or even of

damage that can take many months to heal.

The UK Health & Safety Executive issues guide lines on limits to safe lifting that apply to all

employees under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1. If there is need to lift heavier loads, the

employer is required to consider if the need can be avoided, whether aids to lifting have been

provided, and whether the employee has been properly trained for the tasks. Dartington hives

avoid lifting heavy supers altogether. If however you find the long roof still too heavy, you

can make it as two sections that butt together, adding a capping strip over the join (see page

38).

Internal length and volume

The body of the Dartington Long Deep Hive holds twice the number of deep frames used in a

conventional square hive2 • BS deep frames 14" x 12" provide ample space for egg laying in

one set of combs with store combs front and back, avoiding pressure on the bees to extend

the brood upwards into the honeyboxes. The bees use only the number of frames they need

for brood, generally limited to 8 to 9 frames by the natural rate at which a queen can lay eggs

- normally not more than 1500 eggs a day. lt is not essential to use queen excluders and they

are not included as normal accessories of a DLD hive (but a pair of framed wire excluders can

be bought from Stamfordham Ltd to cover the full length of the body if wanted -or a plastic

sheet excluder can be trimmed to fit directly on the frame top-bars).

Although the hive may look large, the total area of comb in 21 deep frames in the body and

24 shallow frames in the four honeyboxes is only equal to the comb area in a National hive

using a standard and a shallow box for brood, plus four shallow 'supers' for honey.

1 SeeGetting to grips with manual handling - a short guide for employers HSE Books tel: 01 787 881165
2 This resulted frommerging a standard hive plus a second empty brood box standing side by side, for controlling
swarming by dividing the colony into 'swarm' and 'parenf at the same level {the Demaree Principle applied horizontally).

11
Critical dimensions of the OLD hive
Hoffman spacing (35mm): BS
Frames: '14 x 12' = 355mm wide by 305mm deep, spaced at .
. er honeybox at Hoffman spac1ng
shallow frames= 355mm wide by 140mm deep, either SIX p .
d "th wide plastiC ends (5 1.5mm)
(3Smm), or five at Manley spacing (41 mm) or four space Wl

• Top and side bee spaces = Bmm;

bottom bee-space = 21 mm in body and 1mm in honey-boxes

• Overall external length of body = 950mm;

overall length of each honey-box = 233mm;
9
Overall length of four honey-boxes butted together = 932mm, which allows mm 'play' at
T ' the end of the body in u
each end of the body to avoid risk of honeyboxes 'oversat mg se.
Cover board length = 230mm, allowing 3mm play on each honeybox

• Overall width of the body and of honey-boxes= 475mm;

width of cover boards and clearer boards= 471 mm
allowing 4mm 'play' to avoid the covers accidentally oversailing the body or honeyboxes

to the side

• Internal length of tunnel entrance = 90mm overall (from outer face of the end-wall to the
rear vertical face which the bees climb up to enter the hive). Internal height of the tunnel
entrance = 46mm, allowing 2mm play to the 44mm high, loose entrance block. Entrance

floor slot= 8mm wide by 33Smm at the rear of the tunnel-entrance

• Depth of varroa trays below mesh floor = 62mm, enough to avoid live varroa mites

sensing bees above and climbing back to the combs

• Clearance between roof and hive walls= Smm at each side and 7.5mm each end - you

can tighten the fit to prevent blowing off, if needed, by tacking upholstery studs around

the top of the body

• Roof overhangs = minimum 35mm - if made longer, the 'spare' can be t nmme
· d back ·m
future if the edge becomes worn or rotten.

12
3. Notes on making OLD hives
Read these notes to get the best results and reduce risk of wasting materials.

Strength of joints
Dartington hives rely on simple butt joints, with no provision for interlocking the timber -

builders' carpentry, not cabinet-making. Hives are very strong provided: components are cut
square and (where critical) to an accuracy of 1mm; joints are glued and screwed or pinned
with masonry nails dipped in glue and driven into pre-drilled holes.

Tools and materials

• Either a table saw or hand-held circular saw or a long rip saw

• Either a bench-mounted cross-cut saw or a fine toothed saw

• Measuring tape (calibrated in mm.)

• Sand paper and block

• Drill plus 3mm and Smm bits

• Hammer

• Screwdriver - check the screwdriver fits the 65mm deck screws you obtain - there are
various screw systems -screw bits are not all the same shape

• Woodworking glue - 'waterproof' preferred

• Clear wood preserver, for applying only to the outside of the hive.3

• Paintbrushes (for preserver and for a water-based paint or 'woodstain')

• Spanner for Smm coach screws.

Quality of materials
Plywood should be 'external grade'- sometimes termed WBP (water and boil proof). 'Shutter

ply' is also durable in wet conditions but has only one 'good' side -and even that has been
found to be too soft to last well when used for hives. Internal cover boards made of shutter

ply have bowed in use due to the high internal humdity.

3 Preservers that include insecticide should be used only on legs - being in contact with the ground, these are most at risk
of attack. The exterior faces of other components should be treated with a preserver that is free of insecticide.

13
 Softwood battens should be straight - no bow should exceed 1mm along the length of a cut
component. There should be no knots along any corner.

A high-grade opaque paint or 'woodstain' should be selected for finishing the outside -

brands are available from builders' merchants in a full range of colours that are guaranteed for
6 years external use4 .

Hives can be painted internally with emulsion paint, to ease cleaning off propolis. Use 'kitchen
and bathroom grade', applying just one thin coat rubbed deep into the grain.

Accuracy in cutting
Although the design has been 'rationalised', there are still39 types of component!
Fortunately, only a few components need to be cut to an accuracy of 1mm to ensure the hive
complies with the critical dimensions. These particular dimensions are emboldened in
Table 8: Components listed by size, on page 22.

Preparation of cut components before assembly

All edges of plywood and softwood must be sanded smooth. There must be no cracks left on
edges that could develop later into splinters.

lt is important to wrap the sandpaper around a piece of wood; just folding sandpaper in the

hand is very dangerous - it is easy to drive long sharp splinters into your hand.

Thickness of joints
The design assumes that butt joints will be squeezed tight to zero thickness. Use
woodworking clamps if you have them, otherwise drive the fixings in hard.

Pinning
components generally should be both glued and pinned. The side-bars attached to the body
should be screwed as they take the full weight of the hive if it is lifted. Legs are fixed with

coach screws without glue, to allow loosening or total removal when the hive has to be

moved. Fit large flat washers between the legs and the body to avoid the paint welding the

legs on.

4Dulux Aquatech Opaque is expensive but appears to last very well. However, I am now trying Wickes acrylic paint over
Wickes water-based acrylic primer/undercoat. The top coat comes in 8 colours.

14
p

Ordinary nails tend to split the wood, or at best leave a space along the nail which water can

enter. For long-life, use smooth round pins, driven into pre-drilled holes. 'Masonry pins', sold
for driving into brickwork, are well formed and plated against rust.

When components are assembled with glue and clamps, they tend to slide out of position.

Assemble without glue at first, and drill at least two holes with a 3mm bit through the top

piece into the lower. Take apart, glue and re-position, re-locating the pieces by temporarily
pressing masonry pins back into the holes.

Making up 'sub-assemblies'.
To reduce the confusingly large number of individual components, start by fixing small pieces
to larger, so producing a smaller number of sub-assemblies as suggested in the Assembly

Notes. Final assembly of the body can then involve joining only 10 pieces, and a honey-box
only four.

If you have to work in a small shed, consider making the sub-assemblies during the winter and
completing the hives in spring when you can work outside.

Checking for distortion of the body during assembly.

lt is possible to distort the body if metal cramps are used for the final assembly. So, if using
clamps, make a final check for both vertical and horizontal square before fixing the end-walls.

Pairing
When making the honeyboxes, pair the end-walls, to avoid the box twisting during assembly.

Plywood is never totally flat- a piece will bow outwards ever so slightly. lt is better therefore
if the top face of the ply used for each end-walls faces inwards- one honeybox will then

touch the next at their ends when placed together on the hive. There will be a slight gap

between their middles due to the ply bowing inwards, which the bees will push propolis into,
but no matter. Sort the 10 end-walls into pairs, before you start to assemble the honeyboxes.

Tip. lt is fairly easy to detect which is the 'top face' of a piece of plywood. (1) The top tends to have

the better grain. (2) There will be a very slight tendency for the plywood to bow upwards- so if the

top face is put face-down on a flat surface, the piece will spin round on its middle. Conversely, if the

plywood is face up, the piece will not spin - it grinds round on its outer edges.

15
 -
Roof tops
Similarly, it is important that the top face of the roof-top is uppermost when you make a flat

roof. The roof will then be very slightly domed and will dry out from the centre. If the ply is

placed with its top face downwards, the roof is slightly hollowed, and the centre is last to dry.

Rings of dust appear which hold damp and the bowing becomes worse.

Preserving
For long life (hives should last SO years), treat all parts of the hive on the outside with one full

brush coat of clear wood preserver that does NOT include an insecticide. The ends of legs
should be left standing in preservative for 24 hours and then dried for several days before

painting- and that preservative can contain insecticide.

Painting
Finish all external faces of the hive with three coats of garden paint or coloured, opaque
wood-stain 5 . The tops of roofs will require regular cleaning and further coats in use. While
there is a case for leaving landing boards unpainted to avoid bees sticking to a film of water

when blown over in rainy weather, in practice the timber swells (causing the boards to jam) so
it is better to paint them as well.

Landing-boards become surprisingly travel-stained over a season. They are designed to be

loose so they can be removed and scrubbed clean as part of the spring clean. They can also be
turned upside down to quickly close the entrance, so paint all over.

If internal faces are finished with emulsion paint or (better) floor paint, it will be easier to

scrape off propolis and wipe the hive out occasionally with a damp sponge. Fill every gap
with filler so that wax moth have no spaces in which to hide their eggs.

s 1now use the simple Cuprinol Garden Shades after treating the whole hive with clear wood preserver G d Sh d ·
is so easy to apply and to repaint after just a good scrub with a still wet brush. · ar en a es IS
For many years before, I used Dulux Weathershiefd Aquatech Woodstain as a suitable water-based · k ,J •
. ( lbe't . ) lt . . ' QUIC "\..rymg
w~stam a 1 expens1ve . . cames a s1x-year guarantee, al~ough Dulux state they have not tested it for use on
beeh1ves and can offer no adVIce. The basecoat however contams fungicides and if desired ea be tri led
top and Iegs of th e h.1ve. The c1ear wood preserver Wl·11 suffice elsewhere The top'""oat conta·' n res c to.•the roof-
· · and appears sa.e
fung1e1de ' on extema1',aces of bee-hiVes.
· · are disodium
The fungicides " oct8ms 1
b ont Yt small quantities of
0
and carbendazim 0.15%wlw. ora e etrahydrate 5%wlw

16
 .,

Your first hive

If you now feel discouraged by the prospect of so much carpentry, you can avoid the
difficulties of handling and cutting up ply in large sheets by buying your first hive fully 'made-
up' from a woodworking workshop. You can then make further hives by copying the first.

In do not have any commercial arrangement with workshops except to give a free license
provided their workmanship is good and they agree to stick scrupulously to the plans.

At 2011, the licensed maker is Colln Francls at High Wycombe

beehiyes@hotmail.co.uk www.dartingtonhives.co.uk

17
 4

4. Overall sections

(not to scale) li
1f Jll
1111 1111

p
c

External side view of

flat roof, honey-boxes, body
and 'manor' legs
'--

4 cover-boards (loose)

4 honey-
boxes

dummy..........._
frame
(loose)

mesh· batten floor •

batten

landing·
board
landing-board ==~.U..... +fascia •
+fascia Qoose)
inverted to
20mm slot for 18mm landing board block
entrance

Longitudinal - section
(legs not shown)

WARNING - the diagram above is not to scale. The tunnel entrances are out of proportion
and should not be shown so long.

18
,r:·
t.

ll

IU
IL _l_

External end view

19mm insulation

floor batten - -

landing board
(loose)

- - Varroa tray clipped below

entrance batten hive walls with rubber
bands passed around the
tray handles
Cross-section
through entrance floor slot Cross-section
(leg not shown) through mesh floor

19
5. Components, cutting diagrams and
assembly notes.
Each part of the hive (such as the roof, the body, the honeyboxes) is formed of components

(such as an end-wall, a floor) . The first task is to cut the components from standard ply sheets

2440 x 1220mm and 2400mm lengths of softwood.

This booklet provides:

• Table A: Materials list- what to buy

• Table B: All components listed by size

• Cutting diagrams, showing how to cut up the ply sheets

• Table C: All components listed by parts of the hive

• Table D: Fixings

• Assembly notes - for each part of the hive in turn.

lt is possible to cut ply using a handheld circular saw- but you work more accurately by using

some sort of simple saw guide. A suggestion is shown at the end of the booklet. Alternatively

you can pay some timber merchants to cut the ply into strips that need only short cuts to
complete the cutting.

20
Table A: Materials list & indicative costs

Length For 7 For 2 Unit For 7 For 2

mm hive hives cost hive hives
mm no. no. £ £ £
PLYWOOD
18mm (8' by 4') 1220 X 1 2 24.00 24.00 48.00
2440
9mm (8' by 4') 1220 X 1 1 14.00 14.00 14.00
2440
6mm (8' by 4') 1220 X 1 1 9.50 9.50 9.50
2440
SOFTWOOD
12 x 44mm 1800 2 1.40 2.80 0
12 x 44mm 2400 2 1.90 0 3.60
18 x 95*mm 2400 2 4 3.50 7.00 14.00
34 x 34mm 2400 1 2 2.40 2.40 4.80
34 x 70mm 2400 4 8 11 .90 11.90 23.80
HARDWOOD
angles 12 mm x 1800 3 5 1.80 5.40 9.00
12mm
HARDBOARD
3mm x 600mm 600 X 2 3 1.10 2.20 3.30
1200
MESH
3 or 4mm 369 X 728 1 2 10.00 10.00 20.00
rust proof
-
FIXINGS mixed 13.50 25.00

TOTAL 106.55 182.30

Note * : substitute 78 x 745 mm if making 'country' hive

Wood glue, clear preservative and paint are needed in addition.

21
 The budget prices above are based on DIY timber prices at January 2001 at Wickes Home
Improvement Centres, where all the timber sizes can be bought, including the hardwood
Ramin Angle used for the frame supports. Materials can of course also be bought at other DIY
stores and builders' merchants, but 1 have found it convenient to use Wickes for obtaining
materials in small quantities. I do not hold any of their shares! 6

To save money, note that, whereas you need a full sheet of 18mm plywood for every hive,
one sheet of 9mm and one of 6mm ply is sufficient for two hives -leaving half over if you
make only one. So while the budget for materials for one hive is over £100, it drops to near
£90 per hive if you make two .

The plans suggest using masonry pins as metal dowels to pin components together when
gluing since it makes accurate construction easier, but they cost more than simple nails. You
can save money by using masonry pins just of locate the components during assembly, and
using galvanised nails for the final fix.

Stainless steel mesh can be obtained from wire merchants such as

http://www.jtwirecloth.com/ and small quantities can be bought from bee suppliers.
Stamfordham Ltd supply galvanised mesh panels whilst some other suppliers stock standard
epoxy-coated mesh which is easily damaged.

If you want to minimise cost on a trial hive, then Wickes and some garden centres sell 6mm
square galvanised mesh in panels 3ft x 2 ft. You need two sheets, fixing one over the ot her
7
upside-down and out of register so that the holes are reduced to 3mm x 3mm . Tie the
centres of the panels together with fuse wire, or a wire from a piece of electrical flex, and
then use solder or a two-part epoxy glue from a DIY store, to ensure that all the holes remain
small enough to exclude robber bees or wasps.

I '·'·'·'·'·'·'·'·'·'·'·'·'· I

Two mesh sheets bonded, one upside down, out of

register to halve the size of the holes

s Call Wickes on Freephone 0500 300 328 to find your nearest store.
1 Sheets 3ft x 2ft cost £2.30 each- 2 sheets =£4.60- no delivery (assuming you collect!)

22
p

Table B: All components listed by material & size

Dimensions critical to components fitting properly and creating the correct 'bee-
spaces' are emboldened . These should be cut to an accuracy of 1mm.

I No. I thickness I H/W ! L

iti~~:~:~rl~i~i~~~~-~~J[i-~~::Ji~~~--;~~i~~~i~i::~:=
···Nucleus hives I l side wall (ply) !4 ! 18 l 316 ! 218 ···-···
. .~.9.L~:P.?~~.?.. . .. . . . . . . . ..J..................................................................J.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. . .... . . . . . . . . . . ... ...L. . . .. ... . . . . . L. . .. .. . . . .. . ..
Cover-boards I cover board I5 I 18 ! 230 ! 471
'"'''"''''''''''"''''''''''''''''''"''''''''''"'"''''''''''''"'''!'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''"'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''!•oo••ooooooooooooooooooooooo~oooo•o oooooooooooo•••••••••••••••••••••••••i••••ooo..,.,,,,,,,,,,_,,,,,~,,,,,,.., , ..,,, .., ,.,,,,,,,,,,,

Honey-boxes ! side wall ! 10 ! 18 ! 120 !215

!. (softwood) l. i. !. l :

Body floor 2 18 63 371

Body floor batten 2 18 63 876

~~:=====1-=~===
I
Landing-board
==t~~:JI~:=:I?~:=:=: I~~::=C
! fascia (straight) 2 118 144 368

:~;~~~~~:~~-~:~ ~::~:~~~~~=r~=~ r-~:- :::r:~:=

:.~~q:q:EP.:~:6t:::: : : : : : : : : : : : : :r: f.:g:gE!:g:P.::: : : : : : : : : : : : : :::::r::r::::::::~::::::::r:~:: : : : : :: : : : : : :::~::::I~~9.~:~~~:[fiQ7·-=·
_
! l
. .H·a·n·ey=I)oxe·s. . . . . . . . . .t".en·a. w·aTi. '(pi'y)". . . . . . ,. ..,..o. . . . . . . t. .9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. so. . . . i.-47s·--·-
! l
t. i

........................................................................,.................................................................... ..................-.................-.................................,.......-..........._.._._______......._._
~

Dummies I top bar I2 !9 ! 26 ! 432

........................................................................E....................................................................f........................................................................; ............_,_ _,,....... __________

........................................................................l....................................................................I............................L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. . . . . . . . . ._.l...__.__. ____

Carrying-boxes ! end wall (ply) !6 ! 342 ! 475
!4
........................................................................ :-...................................................................:............................+..........................................-:..........___ , ___ f·-·-·-·-·---··--
Ciearing-board
a·r. .(p.iyf. . . . . . . . . . . . .li..2
. .c·a·r·ryrn·9=boxes. . . . . . !f. Ho·
top (ply) 2 ! 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .T.2
. . . . . . . . . .T.6 ! 230 ! 471 ___
. f7-·--r4o6
Dummy-frames shoulders 8 l6 l6 I 50
: : :~: : : ~ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :~ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::1::::::::~::::::::::~::::::~~::::::::[::::~~:=::~]:~::::~~::~~~::~~::=
. .Divider
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .r. .divider T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ri .369
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .r. .1. . . . . . . . . ... ! 9 or 12 . . . . -.. . .T!. 369
. . . . . .___. _. . .

.............................................................................................................................................i....~.~.:............l. .~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L.~.!.Y.Y.. . . J. .~. .-.. . . . . . . . . .

HARDWOOD ANGLES ! !
.......................................................................l"""""'""'"''"""'"'""'' " '"'"'"""'"'"'""'"'"i............................~ ...........................................
j I
4.............................t ................................
Body 1 frame supeort :2 I 12 ! 12 I 914
!........................................................................,............................,.................................
..................................... ................................. .. ~too .................................................................

Honey-boxes 1 frame support

.................................................................. ,....;
1 10 : 12 ! 12 1 215
i............................ ...........................................;............................ .................................
~ ~

Carryin boxes frame su ort 4 112 ! 12 I 218

. .HARti8oAifD'. . . . . . ..
...................................._..................................

23
 i
f
~ .

·I.I
:I
:.: .: : : ·: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :::. . . . . .T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. . . . . .: : .: : : : : :r: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :.: : : : : r: : : : : : : :~: : : : :r: : : : : : : : : : : ..:::.::::
MESH- STAIN.L'Es's"'srE'Ei'"=""""""""""""T"'""" r I l

I !!,
,.
~:ra;-hgJg~ - r mesfi-- - -- - -h -- -j 2 - -- -- h6g--j 750 --
I "' . . .29.tJ~!.QQ.~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ea.rT. . ...
. .c. . /}1 ram~b.1. .2. . . .x. . .44
. . . . .rbatten
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -.. . . . . . . . . . r. . . . . . . . . . . . . -r-,..2'. . . . . . . .1. . 12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~1. .2. . 3. . .o
.........
. .cTea·rr~·~·~h6·:·~~. . . . . ..r. ·~Ia~~~~·ii~~. . . . . . ... . . . . l. 4. . . . . . . . . . t. .,..2". . . . . . .rT2. . . . . . . . . . .r4·46. . . . . . . .
1,1
I ,
Dummy-frames ' side-bar '4 · 12 20 298
p Dummy-frames upper bar 2 12 20 330
'·' ·' ...Pummy-frames lower bar 2 12 ?..9. . . . . . . . . . . . .~-~.Q. . . . . . . .
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
I., I :

ili~=~~Ji~i\~~~~=~j~ji~i~i~~
I ,
'

:~?::Y.f::f.i.9..0.~I?.~:~: :r~:~~t.~E~~~~I!..0.T'i..:El~~:::::::~::~::::::::~:::::~:~~~:::::~:~:~:~~~~~=~:~::~=~::~:~~~:~:~:~~-:. ..: : : :~: : : :~ :~:~

Roof-pent l end batten l2 ~ 18 1 28 ~ 521
·············-···-···--············-······-···············-·····i........................................................,_............,,__....i.......- .......,_ •...•..•l............._..-..........:..................................t··-······--··-···-···-·
. .~.~~-f..:.P.~.~.~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L.~~.9. .YY..9..!!...............................................L?.. . . ... . . . . . .L.J. ?.. _. . . . . LJ. ~.?.. . . . . . ....L?.~J.. . _. __
. ~~~-f..:.P.~.~-~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J...~~-9.~. .Y.Y.~~~-. . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .l. .?.. _. . . . . . . . LJ. ?.. . . ... . .J....!.:l?.. _. . . .J. . ~-?..?.. . . . . ....
. .cu·t. iram. 3"Lfx. 347ar. .;manai-·;-Filve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . _. . . . . -.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . .
:~~9.9.:Ef!:~!~~:::~~~::~~:~:~::~~~I:~I~~~~~~!i~~~~~~::::=~::~~~:::~:::L?.::~:~~~~::I}.:~:~~~~~I~4:=:~::~:::::::L~~$.A~:::::~::::. .
. .cui"'ii-om-·3·-;r;. ·7rTiar-·;e:auni"Fl"'fiive. . . . . .... -.. . ._.__. __. ____. __
. ____. _ . . ._.___. . . -.. . -.. . . .-.. . . . . ._. . . .
.::~:~.~:Fe.~:6t::~:~~:::~:::::~:::~:~I~J.~~~§.?.!t~_6:::~~=::::~:::::~~~~:::J::~~~~~:::~~~I:}.~~:~:::~I?.P.:::~:~:::::::~:::r:~:$.:4:~~=-
. .cui"iro·r:n·'3'-;r;. .7o"for.6oTfl-·iTio"de75. . ._._,. _. . . . . . . . .___. ._._. . _. . ... . ... . . . . . _. . _
. . . . . . . _. . _. . . . . .._____·-·-·
..'
=~~!::_::_~:::::::=tw~Jf~~~===ir==HF-=n~::===mF
I
I .:
I,, ,
I
£,
'
i
1

I
I
. .E.nt·r-a·r;·c:e. . bToEI<. . . . . .TTiaas·e:-·sTotiear---·. . -.. . . r2. . . . . . T. fs_. ____l'44. . . . . . . . . .l 3-3'o. . ._. _
Honey-boxes side bar/ bottom- 10 · 34 · 70 ' 215
f:' I bar
r.
,· I
I Carrying-boxes top bar /bottom 4 34 70 218
bar
Legs ! leg 14 ! 34 ~ 70 1790

24
L ..
~~~-----

CUTIING DIAGRAMS
The following diagrams show how the plywood components can be cut economically out of

standard plywood sheets 8ft x 4ft (2440 x 1220mm) and standard softwood planks in lengths

of 2400 and 1800mm. You need to set out sheets carefully before cutting or it is easy to

waste a whole sheet. The diagrams are only a suggestion - you may see a better arrangement

for yourself.

Use layout 18mm for the 18mm ply sheet, and layout 9mm for the 9mm ply.

If you have a suitable off-cut (either 18mm or 9mm thick), you can make the base board of

the cutting guide illustrated on pages 56 & 57 .

The heavy lines suggest where to position the first rough cuts to subdivide the sheets into

pieces easy to handle and get in the car. Some DIY stores will cut full sheets into sections for
8
you within the store, but Wickes do not- you have to bring a saw and cut up in the carpark !

There is sufficient waste on each ply sheet for you to position the rough cuts w ithout great

accuracy.

NOTE: YOU MUST SET OUT THE SHEETS FOR YOURSELF, using the layout diagrams
to get you started, and referring to the dimensions in the Tables. The diagrams are only

illustrative and are NOT to scale.

Remember to allow 3mm for the thickness of each saw cut when marking out.

8 B&Q sell a cordless circular saw for around £50.

25
 I

Layout 18mm (18mm plywood, 2440 x 1220mm)

: I

i . (one sheet for every hive)

·~ :-------------------------------------------------:
I I
I I 1 II

~
I
i I
I
I
I
body I
I
I
end side I
I
body I
I
wall wall I

A side I
I
I
I
wall I
I
I
I
I
end I
I
I
wall I
I
I
I

... ~--------~L--------__j: I
I

I
I
·~ : I

0
I
I

cover cover cover cover cover O! entrance

8 O! battens
~ 0
.~!~~~~=:!!::!:!:!:!:!!:!:~::¥allha~ard :~: :na. .bbiO.a.[(oardU\
::::::::!JIIibJ n i
: I. J!oor floor I l
c 1 . floor batten 1
1

i!I floor batten

I carry
ll
I carry box carry box carry box 1

l
1
side wall side wall side wall box :1
•lr 1 side :
~ I

26
Layout 9mm (9mm plywood)
(use when making a single hive)

,.,.-.-~---------.- ------------------- -,=..::..:..:.:.-

roof top

12 h hey-
b ~
end ltalls
() " ~n=-)

2 dummy top bars

Spare

Note: can be used for

baseboard of 'simple
cutting guide' illustrated
later in this booklet.

----------------------------------------------------

27
 EQ

Layout 2-9mm {9mm plywood)

(use when making two hives)

- ------------------------ -..:.=.:..::..:-~------ -- --- - ,- :

I

roof top
FlFiFiF 20
honey-box
end walls
LJ L_j L_j L__
-.----
;---

I
I
I
I
I

I
I
I

L
/
dummv top bars

roof top ~
~....__
'-----
;--- r--- ,.---- r-

.. ' '
I ' ~. ~
-- - -- - -~ -- --·---------
i!

28
Layout 6mm (6mm plywood)
( layout shown for two hives _ use half of h
s eet for one hive)

-------- ------------- -------------

2 clearer-
board tops
4 carry-box
end walls

divider

2carrv-box~ divider

11
2
clearer-board
4 carry-box tops
.___ __,J I.____ _.
end walls ===::::::

divider

I I I

2 carry-box floors divider

I

:I II
L-•-----------~-----~------~------~-------~-~~----------------

Note: Divider: lt is easiest to use a single thickness of 9mm if a piece is available. If however
yo_u are making two hives, there will be no spare 9mm left- see previous page. A _single
th1ckness of 6mm is not substantial enough in use. This diagram shows how two p1eces of
6mm ply can be obtained which can be made into a single Divider when bonded together.
Cut the pieces OVERSIZE initially, then glue together before trimming to final size.

29
 Layout - softwood battens
18 X 95
12 X 44 12 X 44
for 1 hive for 1 'manor' hive
for 2 hives
or 18 x 145
for 1 'country' hive

2~()~- - -- -- ---- - - -m-- -- -- ---- ----- -! =--

230 1
I

w
m 521
I
I
I

s?1
I
230 I

w
I
I
I

aoo
........................................................................................................_..,.............. m ......................._.........................................-
230
w
m
230
w
n
298
965

....... -·-·· ·······-········-···· ,, ·--·······--··········-·····································-··-····u ·········-············-·························--·-·--·-········-··············--···············

~~
11 ml; n· m
I,{
~ d 298 330

i
W u w
m 965
m
i :
!i
11
: i !j. 330
!::i li ;

~ --------- 4;~0 ---lUl. . . . . . . . ... __., .-.. ..

W
m
eo:i
il m
11
.
298
!:
368

~~ d

w w
I!
0 I,
(") I. !I
N

Hi
o
mcd.
m
430
1.1
,.~•
m
UJ
298 l .,:: 368

~ ~ t:f:T· tl.·''I . - ·1~ ...

______ w__W_ ------'-~----~ ____ -~L __________
Notes: (1) These layout diagrams only shows how the required lengths of batten can be cut
from full length pieces. Do not mark out all the small lengths before starting to cut - to
achieve accuracy, cut each small length separately.

30
 Layout - softwood battens _ for each hive
34 X 34 34 X 70
for manor hive for both models
34x 70
for country hive

.-·-· -· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . ...... ... . ... . . n ... ... . . . . . . ..... . ... . . . ... . . . . . . . . . ... . ...... . ...
2400

1 u
n
n H~790
218 218

. ···-·-···-···-···· · · · · · · ·-· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·-~·-· · · · · · · · · ·o· · · · · · · · · · u

................................................

964
D
····················-··-··--·················-······---······--··-·······
790
W-- 790
914

un
____[]__-H-
335

0
···············-·-······-·······································-·······-·······-···-··

964 914 790 335

'
\ D H 335

· -· · -··· · · · -·· -· · · · · · ··· · · · · · · · · · · · -· · ···- · · · · -· ··-· · · ·- · · · · -· .· ·D· · · -· -· · · · · · · · ··-·· · ·. U__

Note that the 34 x70 battens, 215, 218 & 9141ong, need rebating either before or after

chopping into short pieces- you choose - see pages 40,46 & 51 for details of rebates.

31
 -
Layout- hardwood angles 12 x 12mm
for every hive

2400
• ••••••••••••-••••••-••••ooo..,,, ,,,,, ,., , ,,...,,.,,,.,,,,,,,, , ,,,,,,,,.,,,,.,,,,.,,,,,.,.., ,.,,,.,,,..,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.., ..,,,..,,,..,.,,., ..,,,,...,..,~, .., ..,,..,.,,_ _ ,,.., .._ .., _ , ,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ .•

~
- -~-- -------------
- --

~
i~
914

.--- - -- ------------
-l~

~~
"5
(.)
I
10
......
N n
~ 2Un8

--- - - n-- 2u ------ -----------·--

914 U n
~ 2u
~ 2~
. ······-··-······--··-·················-·······--·---··········-··-·-··--·-···········u ················----··--··- ·--·-····-·--···-···- ·- ·-···-···-········-··-·······- ·- -············-···-··-··········-

32
 Table c: All components listed by parts of the hive
- p - p/yt!_OOd; H hardwood; S softwood; M
- mesh No t H!W L
- Roof-flatp roof top 1 9 580 1107
Roof-flat s end wall
2 18 95 521
Roof-flat s side wall
2 18 95 965
Roof-flat s side batten 2 34 34 964
Roof-flat I pent s end batten 2 18 28 521
(alternative) Roof- pent p roof top 1 9 580 1107
(alternative) Roof- pent s side wall 2 18 145 965
(alternative) Roof- pent s side batten 2 34 70 964
(alternative) Roof- pent s end-wall 2 18 145 521
Body p end wall 2 18 352 476
Body p floor 2 18 63 371
Body p side wall 2 18 431 914
Body H frame support 2 12 12 914
Body s side bar 2 34 70 914
Body p entrance batten 4 18 44 87
Body p floor batten 2 18 63 876
Body s mesh batten 3 34 63 335
Body M mesh 1 2 369 750
Landing-board p landing board 2 18 120 368
Landing-board p fascia 2 18 44 368
Entrance block s (loose, slotted) 2 18 44 330
Cover-board p cover board 5 18 230 471
Clearing-board p top (ply) 2 6 230 471
Clearing-board s end batten 4 12 12 230
Clearing-board s side batten 4 12 12 446
Honey-boxes p end wall 10 9 150 475
Honey-boxes p side wall 10 18 120 215
Honey-boxes H frame support 10 12 12 215
Honey-boxes s side/ bottom-bar 10 34 70 215
Dummy-frames p top bar 2 9 26 432
Dummy-frames s side bar 4 12 20 298
Dummy-frames s upper bar 2 12 20 330
Dummy-frames s lower bar 2 12 20 330
\ Dummy-frames hb wall (hardboard) 4 3 298 355
Dummy-frames p shoulders 8 6 6 50
Divider p divider 1 9 369 369
Carrying-boxes p end wall (Qiy) 4 6 342 475
Carrying-boxes s top /bottom bar 4 34 70 218
Carrying-boxes p side wall (ply) 4 18 316 218
,__ Carrying-boxes p floor (ply) 2 6 217 406
.._Legs (straight or tapered) s leg 4 34 70 790

33
 65MP = 65mm Masonry Pin; 40WS = 40mm wood screw,· 65 DS
= 65mm Deck Screw
Table D: All fixings
No of Fixings Total Type
joints per joint
ROOF :
Side-wall > End-walls 4 3 12 60MP
Side-bars > Side-walls 2 6 12 50 MP
Side-bars >Roof-tops 1 glble only
BODY

Floor- > Side-walls 2 6 12 30MP

battens
Entrance- > Side-walls 4 2 8 30MP
battens
Side-bars > Side-walls 2 6 12 40WS
Temp >End-walls 10 2 20 30MP
battens

End-walls > Side-walls 4 6 24 65DS

Side-walls > Floors 4 2 8
End-walls > Floors 2 4 8 50 MP
Side-walls > Mesh-battens 6 4 24 65MP
Mesh 29 12 24 clout nails
Frame- > Side-wall 2 8 16 tacks
support
HONEY-BOXES (for 5 boxes)
Side-bars > Side-wall 20 2 40 40MP
Frame- > Side-wall 10 2 20 Tacks
support
End-wall > Side-wall 20 2 40 SOMP
CARRY-BOX I NUC HIVE
Side-bars >Side-wall 8 2 16 40MP
End-wall > Side-wall 8 4 32 SOMP
Floor > Side-walls 4 2 8 SOMP
LEGS (4)
Straight > Body 4 2 8 65 Coach screw
leg 1 4 50 Coach screw
Tapered > Body 4 1 4 65 Coach Screw
leg 1 4 90 Coach Screw
4 4 16 Large washers

TOTAL FIXINGS PER HIVE >

24 x 65 Masonry Pin; 112 x 40 Masonry Pin; 56 x 30 Masonry Pin;
40 x 65 Deck Screw;
24 x 40 Wood Screw; 42 tacks; 16 clout nails ; Coach Screws above

9 The mesh floor cab be obtained from Stamfordham Ltd as two half-length panels of galvanised mesh , each fixed with 12
clouts, or one full length panel of stainless steel fixed with 24 clouts

34
 ASSEMBLV NOTES
fLAT-ROOF
for •manor ' hive

com onents for one roof

Assembly
Mark out a rectangle on the underside of the roof-top where the walls will fit. Check the
rectangle is square to maintain the designed clearances between the roof and the body.
Join the side battens to the side walls using glue and SOmm masonry pins driven from the
inside. Join the end-battens onto the end-walls using 30mm pins driven from the inside.
Glue/screw the side-battens to the underside of the roof, using 40mm screws driven from
below through predrilled countersunk holes through the side-battens. Do not make the
countersinks too deep or the screws will go right through the roof-top.
Glue/pin the end-walls onto the side-walls and roof-top, using 60mm pins driven into the end
grain.
Bond on 19mm sheet polystyrene insulation to the underside of the roof-top with a thick glue,
such as 'No-Nails!', or with pollyfilla.
After preserving and painting, run a fillet of non-setting mastic along the join between the
.
,
.,
wall assembly and the roof-top to make sure that any drips that run under the roof-top do not
penetrate the joints.

mastic
19mm polystyrene fillet
insulation

Sections through side (left) and end (right)

35
PENT-ROOF for 'country' hive
(but any roof fits any hive)

end-wall

Components for one roof

P =P..!Y!ood; H =hardwood; S =softwood; M =mesh ! No ! t ! HtN i L

···-..··-·-·-··-·-··-·---· . ·······-····-··-·--····--·-··-:··-·-···-····-·--·--- ···-······--·-········..····-·····--···-t-···..·····················~·········--··--·~---···-..·---·-t--·..·-·---·..--
=:~~:::::::.:::::~:~q2EP.~!ir::~~:~:::~::~~::I::~:P.:: :I~~§U~P.~~~::~:~:::~~::~:~::~:: ::~~:~:r::::~~:::::~~:J:I~:==::~~[~::~QB-~[=}1 QL
Roof-pent l S ! end wall l 2 l 18 l 145 l 521
::=-~:~::::~~:::~::~~~ER~~c~:~~:::~:::::::~:L~§.:::::r~~~::~~~~~::::::::::~::::::::::::~::~:::::r:::~::::=::::::z.c~::~JAI~~~~~~I=~~s2L
Roof-nent 1 S ! side wall 1 2 18 145 l 965
1 ...............!............- ........!'•"··-··--··-·
......................................- ....J:.......................................:..........- .....J ............................_,,_,,,..........................................._,,,_,,,.......:..... -
Roof-pent 1 S i side batten ! 2 i 34 1 70 i
........................- · -···--·-· ··--···-·-···--·-····........!........,_.................................................................................:..............................:-....................
964
.!.................................- - --·-·--"·

Shaping and Assembly

Fix the side-battens to the inside of the side-walls 61 mm from the bottom edge, using SOmm
pins driven from the inside.
Mark out the roof slope on the outer face of the side-wall, 61+70= 131 mm at the top end,
61+34 =95mm at the bottom end. Saw, preferably using a hand-held circular saw which
typically have a depth of cut of 50mm. The thickness is 52 mm, so the two pieces are
separated finally with a hand saw.
Cut the end walls to match the sides.

Mark out a rectangle on the underside of the roof-top where the walls will fit. Check the
rectangle is square, or the design clearance provided between the roof and the body (Smm)
may prove insufficient in use. Allow a minimum of 35mm overhang at the top end (after
allowing for the thickness of the end-batten) and the remainder at the lower end of the pent
roof.

36
 -
~--r---

35~ 1

Place the side-walls and end-walls right way up on a flat surface, butt the ends onto the sides
and and glue 1 pin together using 60mm pins driven into the end grain. Turn over and glue
the whole wall assembly onto the underside of the roof-top. Glue on the end-battens to
strengthen the bond. Use waterproof glue for the roof if you prefer.

35
~
\ .
glue walls & stde-battens to /
Glue on the
end-battens to
cover the joint
roof-top

I
Bond on 19mm sheet polystyrene insulation with a thick glue, such as 'No-Nails! ', or with
pollyfilla . (Insulation is not included in the component list).
After preserving and painting, run a fillet of non-setting mastic along the join between the
wall assembly and the roof-top to make sure that any drips that run under the roof-top do not
penetrate the joints.

mastic
fillet

Sections through side (left) and end (right)

Note: the roof-top has been fixed only with glue. If you prefer, screws can be driven upwards
through the side-battens into the roof-top but be careful that the t ips do not come right
through to the top or there will be a point of weakness for water to enter.

37
Alternative of a GABLED ROOF that can be cut to
two halves

The factory made kits include a Gabled Roof since the reduction in the size of the roof-tops
(the largest piece) makes shipping easier. Manufacture is more difficult so this design is not
likely to be adopted by home constructors. However, some people find a long roof difficult to
handle and the Gable Roof is suitable for making in two parts. Note that the shape creates
uplift in a strong wind- it is the shape of an aircraft wing- so the half-roofs may need tying
down in winter as each half is so much lighter than a single piece roof.
Full construction information is not provided as if you have the facilities to cut the ridge piece
in particular, you will work out the rest for yourself. The alternative is to buy just a roof in kit
form from Stamfordham Ltd.- and make the rest of the hive at home.

38
The roof-sides must be cut before the roof is assembled - it would be very difficult to make a
neat job if a completed roof was cut.

Add closing-pieces to block off the open ends of the half-roofs. (These are not supplied) w ith
the kit. They are the same length as the end-walls and, ideally, are sloped at the top-
thickness is unimportant. Cut back the insulation so that the closing pieces can be glued
both to the roof-top and to the side-walls.

The edge of the cut must align with one side of the downstand of the ridge - that is
Smm beyond the centre of the roof-side. The w idth of the cut (about 2.5mm) needs to be
taken out of the shorter piece. The ridge can then be firmly glued to the longer half-roof,
and the shorter half will slide under.

You must cut the pair of sides to make a longer pair and a shorter pair- do NOT make the
mistake of cutting both original sides exactly the same - one must be the mirror of the other.

closing Insulation cut back

piece closing piece
end wall
\ _,
/_ \

- 11 1- ~
-

39
BODY
side bar
rebate 29 deep by 14 wide

side-wan

end-wall

floor batten

floor

mesh-batten

Components for one body

p =pJY.Y'(OOd; H=h~tg~Qgq!·...§.:_~Qftw-~........
- ...... od·!_,,_M..-~J!J~~--h. ~···
i
······-····· ···-·-··-,:..
No i i HfW 1 L
....................t +-----+·-·---·-·--

~~~~~~~~~-j:~=n~~~:==·=I~~]E£~IE~it
............................................. ..................
Bod¥
i P i side wall
, .............
1 2 1 18 1 431 1 914
. . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . .d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . --T. il ~ frame support 2 i 12 1 12 1 914
! ............_____ .............................. _._...._......................._ ..___ , __.._ ........_.._ ........_ _ ..... _ ..........
~
..........................................d ................................ ! S
Bo y .. .:..............................................
l side bar .. ...................................... - ...........
! .................
2_.,1.......- .....34-...·-----.....................
1 70 1 -... 914 --·-·
. .Od..Y. . ..............................ii.-·P..- -.............-!l...............................................................
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 entrance batten _ ...._ti..--..- .............. 4...,.!........_ ......
18_ .....! _ ..........
44_ ..,1..............87 _ ....

B. . dY................-...............ii.......................
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B P ,l......... floor batten i 2 1 18 ~ 63 ! 876
- ................- ............................_ ..- .....t .................- ........, .........____ ........_ .....................................

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .o. .dY..................................,1.......................
S .,.i ..mesh
. ..............____ ................................................
batten 3 .i~..............34
l .................. ____•.! _....___63
...............................
i 335 .
- -- ~}- -·-j-M t mesh···-----r---1i·--:d--369t-7SO
Shaping the components:

Side-bars 34x70x914mm: cut out rebates the full length 29mm deep by mm wide.
14
Floor battens: cut out the top edge at both ends, 18mm deep by 45mm long, to house the
floors.

40
 -
Mesh battens: chamfer one edge (8mm x 8mm) of two of th e th ree mesh battens - leave the
third (centre) batten square all round .

Step 1: side-wall sub-assemblies.

1. Mark the inside face of each side-wall.

2. On the inside face of each side-wall, mark out a line 304mm from the top edge. This
line is the top of the floors and floor-battens (and the underside of the mesh).

3. Fix the floor-batten centrally on the side-wall with its top edge touching the line, using
30mm pins. (The floor-batten will be inset by 19mm at each end).

4. Mark out where the ends of the three mesh battens will butt against the floor-battens.
Drill groups of four 3mm pilot holes at each location (total 24 holes per hive - see below).
These will be used later for driving 60mm pins through the side-wall from the outside to
hold the mesh-battens. Position the holes towards the top and the bottom - leave room in
the middle for the coach screws that hold the legs to go later in the middle.

5. Fix the entrance battens with 30mm pins, leaving clear slots 20mm high for the (loose)
landing-board to slide in easily. (The landing-board is detailed on a following page). If the
components have been cut accurately, the bottom of the entrance-batten will lie along
the bottom edge of the side-wall. lt does not matter if the entrance batten is higher, but
it should be trimmed off before fixing if it projects below the side-wall, or it w ill take the
entire weight when the hive is placed on a flat surface or on a stand.

side-wall

304

cut-out for floor

18x44
19
slot 20mm high for
(loose) landing board

floor batten

Note: The following section - Step 2 - is intended to show how a hive box can be made
accurately using battens to create temporary rebates, so saving need to use large clamps. If
however you have access to workshop tools, you will see easier ways to work. (I use an
· ternal former and clamp the sides to it the correct dtstance
m · apart' then glue in the floors to
keep the bottom of the hive correct, then clamp on the end-walls to finish).

41
Step 2: End-walls
On the inner faces of the end-walls: -
.
1· M ark a honzontalline k t ...., symmetrical vertical lines
29mm from the top edge. Mar ou lvvO
· · mark two further lines -the
exactly 371 mm apart. Using a piece of 18mm ply as a spacer,
four vertical lines show where the side-walls will fit- see left diagram below.
2 . Drill two sets of five, evenly spaced 3mm holes- these are for screwing or pinning on the
end-walls to the side-walls. Countersink the holes on the far side, the outer face of the
end-wall. See left-hand diagram .
3. Using scrap wood, tack on two pairs of staggered, temporary battens about 275mm long
to create 'rebates' which will hold the side-walls while the box is being assembled. Re-
check carefully that the internal width will be 371 mm. Tack a further batten about
400mm long, exactly 29mm from the top of the end-walls - this batten supports the end-
walls during assembly.
Make sure the battens are set out square- that ensures the hive will be square.

29
·-····-; ····-·-·-....................._.............................if'............. ; ··-····
porary battens
1·~~~--------3_71_____~~·~
end-wall end-wall
I•

'•
•
x
X floor side-wall
'x
~X
x :X
'>."
Step 3: test fit the side-walls, floors & end-wafis
lt is wise to test the final fit-up 'dry' (with screws but without glue), then take it apart again
for gluing.
1. Set the side-walls vertical, holding the pair temporarily by laying one arm across the tops or
in some other way. Lay the floors across the tops of the cut-outs in the floor-battens. Then
push the temporary rebates on the end-walls onto the side-walls. The whole box should now
stand up on its own! But only just- be careful!

Check that the floors are square to both the end-walls and the side-walls. This ensures that
the whole box is square in plan.

2. Fix the end-walls by deepening the pilot holes and inserting 65mm deck-screws part way in
_total 20 screws. Test one screw to make sure you can drive to full depth _ and change to
6omm masonry pins if it is too difficult to drive such long screws _ it takes strength by hand
but is easy with an electric screwdriver. (Note: deck screws are easier to drive than ordinary
wood-screws). Take apart for gluing.

42
rl
 step 4 : final assembly
Apply glue to all meet ing faces, and re-assembl If .
1. e poss1ble clamp th fl
walls t o ensure the body st ays square in plan. Not th ' e oars to the end-
e at the cutouts are 1mm I
needed t o ho use the floors. Check for square vert· anger than
ICa11 y and honzont 11 b f
the deck screws to full depth. a Y e ore dnv1ng

side-wall

'G' clamp

2. Drill and insert 40mm pins into the fro nt and sides of the floors to strengthen the JOints In
case the hive is ever m ishandled in use.

3. Position the outer mesh-battens to create an 8mm wide entrance slot between the floor
and the mesh-batten. The chamfered faces point outwards to give a lead-In when bees
are dragging out rubbish. Check that the resulting entrance slots are not be Wider than
Bmm at any point, so that the entrances are mouse proof at all times- reduce to 7mm 1f
mice are small in your area. Posit ion the central mesh-batten along the centre-line of the
hive. Insert twenty-four 60mm pins into t he groups of pilot holes drilled earlier through
the side-walls.

4. Fix the mesh down firmly on top of t he floor-battens and mesh-battens using clout na1ls
Use screws if there are badgers or racoons near your hive, and you think they may push
the mesh up from below. (I do not know if t hey will - but it seems a possibility).

5. Position the side-bars w ith their top edges level w ith the top of the end-walls. Screw the
side-bars on from the inside with 50mm screw s. Finally, glue/pin the frame-supports to
the top edges of the side-walls, using 12mm tacks.

~saewed
outer mesh battens from the lllSide
chamfered 8 x 8mm to
provide 'lead-in' for entrance slot 8mm

-;
bees dragging out
mesh
baHen

~~--~~~~~~~~-rr==~
wide between floor
and mesh batten
mesh battens held
by four 60nvn PillS
eadl end, through
predrilled holes

Section through the completed body

43
LANDING BOARDS & ENTRANCE BLOCKS

semicircular
slots
18mm dia

t ance-blocks per hive

Components for two landing-boards & two e~ r No i t 1 HJW l L

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : :~: :.: ~:~-b=~:~~~d: :~::~:~~J~=~~:~:;: ~: ~::~~:~~=:~~: d:~:=: =:~=~:::r~~::~~=~:~:2

' P I d1'ng boar1 I
--·:~~~::=:{~:: t=: ~: : : : :~i~6=r::::::~~~::·
·········-'··-·-····--·-·+-······-··············-···-·-r-....................
L d an mg oar an 18
--········-···-·-····-····- 368
·········································· 1
Landing··························-···············i·-··············-i·····"-'""""-"
P i fascia ,,,__.......-........ 2 r1l 1: 44 · ;

. . . . . . . . . . .En.tran·c~. b'iac·i<. . . . . . . . . . i. . . .
board 1
I
1 _,_........-.,4..................- .......- ...r.-...................
s. ·-t"·aoose:-·sratiear. . . -.. . . . . . t. _. . _. __. ~n- 18 ! 44 ~ 330

Shaping the components:

entrance-blocks (loose, slotted): clamp the edges of two blocks together and drill three 18mm
holes centred on the gap -then clamp the other two edges and drill two 18mm holes. This
produces semi-circular slots on both edges.
landing-boards: smooth the ends of the landing board so that it will slide easily into the body.
If the landing board is too tight a fit in the hive- perhaps because it is a bit long and the hive
a bit narrow -you should sand it more.
Assembling the components:
landing board/ fascia : Fix the fascia under the landing board, 18mm from the front edge. To
avoid nail heads showing on the landing-board , either use glue only or drive 60mm pins
upwards through the fascia from below.

Note that, when a block is pushed right into the hive entrance, the bees use the top slots to
get in. To close an entrance completely, use both blocks, one with 2 slots up and the other
with 3 slots up. The two blocks can be stored this way in the rear entrance between visits.

Alternatively, you can close an entrance by turning the landing-board upside down.

Entrance closed using both

blocks, one 'up', one 'down'
~ntr~nce blocked by the fascia after
mmg the landing-board upside down •

44
 -
1 DIVIDER 8r 2 DUMMY FRAMES

divider

dummy

components for one divider & two dummy frames per hive
:__ .f.:..PJY!!.Q.qq;, .ti.=:. .~.~.r:f!.'!(9.9.4.i.§..: ..~9..~QQ.qi..M.: . ~.~~~. .l...................~~..J..... I i HiW i L
Divider P divider 1i . . . . . . g. T. . . . . . . . . . 't-.................-.. . . ..
r- D~_!!!Y:!~.~~~.. . . . . . . . . .
oummv-frames
P
S
t~p bar
s1de bar
.................-.?.. . !.... 9 i ~~ :
4 1 ·-..·-·.........t..·---..···-·+-..--·---·---·
~~~
_ _l_,____ ,,_.................... ....................._·-i·-·--·--·--·-1 12 20 l 298
- ·oummy-frames S upper bar 2i i'··--·--··-.. t···--·..·-·---:-
Dummv-tfames..._.............. s lower bar ·l-.. . . . .
..........................
2.
12
12 .
--+·. ·-·-·-.
---·+·-·. ·_2· 9 ~l2
330
.
:1. _,__,_.................
- · oummy~frames
...- ..........-...............
hb wall (hardboard) .....................4 +. -·.
.......1.................3
' ' 298 '
2 0 .
..... -·-····-·..t-·-..·-·-·-·---·
355
OummJ·frames P shoulders .....................8"1"·-·-·--·st-·-·--.. . . +---·---·---..
~--=o·ivlder ._...............--·- P . . . . . . . .s.
....................~rt t·-·36~-·t---·-3~~-
Assembly: divider
Note: the thickness of the divider is not critical, so use whatever is available. The layouts
provide two pieces of 6mm ply for gluing together to make 12mm- but a single piece 9mm is
easier to remove when propolised if you can find a spare piece. (Only a single thickness of
6mm tends to be too weak).
When using two pieces of 6mm bonded to make 12mm, rough-cut the pieces oversize, glue
together and then trim accurately to final size.

Note: the divider has no Jugs to fill the space above the frame supports in the body. When you use the
divider, fill the spaces completely with rolls of green nylon pan scourer - the bees cannot chew through.
To make each of two rolls, cut one and a half strips of scourer about 25mm wide, roll up and secure
with a rubber band. Use rolls just once - they get plugged with propolis.

Assembly: dummy frames

Glue top-bar, side-bars and upper and lower bars onto the rough face of one (hardboard)
wall. Insert insulation. Glue on second side. Smooth the four edges of the assembly to make
it easy to scrape off propolis in use. Fix the top bar using two 50 mm pins driven into the side-
bars. Glue the shoulders to the top corners on each side, to match the shoulders on the
Hoffman brood frames.
Note 1: Insulation is not listed as a component - 19mm thick sheet polystyrene left over from
making the roof is best, but any form of insulation will do. Use bubble wrap or crumpled
newspaper at worst.

45
5 COVER BOARDS 8r 2 CLEARER BOARDS

clearer-board

Components for 5 cover-boards & 2 clearer-boards per h~~~ 11

HIW ! L
1
P = P.JY.Yi.ood· H = hardwood· S = sottwood· M= mesh : ' --·-...-L----··-~··-·----·-..
:::::::~:=:::::::::::::::::::::::::::.::::.:~:::::::::~:::~::::::::::~~::::::::r::~:::::::::::::::::::::::::~~::::=~~::::::::::::: ::~::~:~:::::::::~:::r::=~~:~~::~~g~f--·--1a·-t-·-·23a+·-----4.7T
Cover-board
..........- .......................:................................................r: ........P--t·~ ........................
cover board - .............................-.....1 __............_.__.......
1.....--... 2 l 6..,_ 230-+-·----·-
i .............. i 471
. . . . . . .-..--.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -.. .r. . . . . . . .
Cleanng-board
Cleanng-board
~·-·
i P : toe
S ~ end batten
rely) : :
+·-·-· . .\ . .... ·-.. . . . . . . _. . . . . - . .r .....-....--4-·-r- 12 ~ 12 1 23o ----·-•-·-·---+-----
' _.................L.--......- t...........-·-t-·---------·-
. . . . . . . . . . .C.iearin.g~'board. . . ._. . . . . T. . . S. . .f s'ici'e. 'batten. . . . . . _. . . . . . . . . T--
!
4 1 12 1 12 ~ 446

Shaping the components:

Top: cut out a slot for the bee-escape of your choice before assembly. (The bee-escape needs
to be bought from a bee-supplier. or the clearer-board can be modified to include a
permanent Canadian type escape- see WEDMORE, E. B. Manual of Beekeeping, 2nd edn .•
para 701).
Battens: 12mm x 12mm batten are not available as a finished size at all DIY stores. lt is better
not to use battens wider than 12mm as it becomes difficult to avoid crushing bees when
placing the clearer-board on the hive. The materials list suggests 12 x 44mm battens can be
ripped into three strips.

Assembly: clearing boards

Glue battens around the edges of the top, and clamp or press under weights. If you drive
pins to hold the battens while the glue sets, drive only part way in and pull out later.
Permanent pins can spoil the smooth face of the clearer board, which makes scraping clean in
use more difficult.

46
•
5 HONEY-BOXES frame
support
side bar

bottom-bar

__f.~_PJY.'!!P,Qq~:..tJ.:. ~~[.q~g_9..q~:§..: ..~9..~9.9..qi...M.. :J!!.~~~...l............. No j t i HIW l L

·-- _,___................................................1..................'!.....................................................................-.~·-···· ··········-···r·-·····..···-·--t·········--·····-·····t-··-..····-..·-··-···
- -_Honev-boxes i P i end wall i ············fo-T····--··-·-·t. ·······--·····-·t--·--·-····-······-
.._.....l ..--...-_.............................1.................+.......................................................................~......... 9 ; 150 i
-- Honev-boxes ~ P ~ side wall ~
;
.........1.o"T. . . . . .1. . . .t.........__ ___. r----.. . . .475 . .__,
~........................................................................................ 8 ; 120 ; 215
. -r-..·--·-..215-.. . . .
_ .._,_/..._ ................._ ....................!.................. . '

--Hone
·- ·-Y..-boxes H ~..................................
-...-.. ............................. ..~!.................. ~ frame support ~ ·1·a·-r-.. ...T2T' . . . ._._ 12 ;
16. T............34l . - . . .7o·r--215
............................................................. ;
Hone -boxes ~ S l side bar I bottom-bar ~

Shaping the components:

Side/bottom-bars: cut a rebate 29mm deep by 14mm wide in the narrow face of each piece of
70x34mm. Before starting, decide whether it will be easier for you to rebate one long length
or 10 short ones, depending on the tools you will use. Saw at a slight angle (10 degrees) to
separate the side-bar from the bottom bar. Rough cut to 10 pieces, each about 235mm,
leaving spare for final trimming to 215mm.
Side-walls & frame supports: cut overlength for final trimming (see cutting diagrams).

Saw-cut to separate side-bar Box-jig for making side

from bottom-bar. assemblies

Assembly:
Side-assemblies: side-bars & side-wall: glue a frame-support to each side-wall.
Fixing the side & bottom-bars to the side-walls exactly 150mm apart (to match the side-walls)
. . f th t pieces will be accurate.
can be diffiCult. lt is unlikely that just lining up the edges o e cu
Make a box jig, 150mm wide internally, using scrap wood, as shown above · Drill ' push 50mm . .
. T k apart to glue and fm1sh .
Pins Part-way in, then check the overall height of the assemb 1Y· a e

47
 th of 2 1smm. If you are using
. bl
Tnm the ends of the completed assem Yexa ctly square at leng
h the upstands (not the
h t vertically throug
a handsaw. make the jig say 300mm long, t en cu . · g all the assemblies.
'de when tnmmln
bottom) with great care, and use the cut as a saw gUI

gap between tx>ards ~o

Upstands cut exactly guide say.hen tnmmmg
vertical ass mblies

Jig: side view

~------------------·~[ _______ ]

~--------------------~l~--------

Jig: top view

========================================================
End-walls to side-assemblies: drill and pin two side-assemblies to one end-wall with 4 x
50mm pins. Place the half-made box right way up on a flat surface, and check that it does
not rock (if it does, one end was not trimmed square). Take apart and glue. Glue/pin the
other side-wall.
Note. When you remove the honeyboxes in order to open the hive, you can push the ends of
the pair of blocks into the rear entrance so that they project to form brackets on which the
honeyboxes can be placed. This replaces the leg brackets that were included in earlier
versions of these plans

. .

..P
/.:
Cover board tucked
'
En~
under the edge of '
the landing board ' bloclts pushed endwise into rear
entrance to hold honey-boxes

--

48
4 LEGS . straight for 'manor' hive
0

leg

shaping components:
Legs: drill three Smm dia holes clear through the 70mm wide face of one leg, 65 mm,
30omm and 365mm all measured from the top end. Mark the innerside of the 1eg by sconng .
a cross- this will still be visible when the leg is painted. Use the first leg as a jig to drill the
others- mark each inner side. The legs will then be interchangeable if ever detached when
the hive is moved.

Assembly:
Position the legs on the body, pressing the top of each leg firmly against the body side-bar-
then drill Smm diameter pilot holes through the legs only Smm deep into the body. Insert
65mm coach-screws into the bottom holes - and a screw no more than 50mm long into the
top hole. Note that the design ensures that the two lower coach screws enter the body where
the wall thickness is increased to 36mm by a batten fixed inside the body wall, but the top
screw goes into the side wall only. If the legs become loose, replace the bottom screw with a
Smm diameter bolt- you can get at the back for the nut.
After assembling the hive, check that the height of the body is comfortable for you, and cut
the bottoms of the legs if needed.
To increase the life of the hive, set the hive on bricks half buried in the ground.
Note that as all twelve coach screws are fixed from the outside, it is possible to remove the
legs for convenience if the hive has to be moved while still occupied by bees.

coach-
screws

........- ..................._........

49
 ' try' hive (alternative)
4 LEGS tapered for coun

P = plY!!_oocl" H = hardwood· S =softwo , :J!!.---t-·--·-+-·--- · ·---+-- ·---·-······-

=:::==~=-.:::==-~~::::::::::..=:....::::::::=:::::::::::-.:.-~=t:::..S-:-.::::::::;---I-::::=~~-==:::::.-···-·-··-·-r--·4~···-T__~_ _l_l.Q___l...... *51 9. . . .
Lens : . eg-·--·- ..-·-·----·..___,_..L ..- -···
- ......,_..___,__,_.......>:l:_ ...._._____,_............l.--·----'--

.I
Shaping components:
. ht 790mm long - cut short for
Legs: The components tables provide timber for strarg 1egs
I: tapered legs. Taper each leg from 40 to 68 mm and angle the feet.
I,
-+-1-
!
I
!
I,
I
I
I

I \t·.
68 ••
t 113
-t43

I "'
•..........................
0 0 -
j I ....................i; ............................... ···································
!I 11~\
j!
i I
'I ''
I ~
Drill two Smm dia. holes clear through one leg, 43mm and 113mm from the top end, along
the centre line of the tapered leg. The hole through the leg will not be exactly perpendicular
; ' unless you use a drill stand or a guide of some form such as a block through which a hole has
l been pre-drilled using a drill-stand. Use the first leg as a jig to drill the others -the legs w ill
then be interchangeable. Score the inner faces of the legs with a cross that will still show
after the leg is painted.
i
II 'I
Assembly:
l!
i Mark out the positions on the body of the top coach screws - 85mm upwards and 88mm
; '
inwards from each bottom corner (see diagram) - drill Smm pilot holes, Smm deep. Note that
the design ensures that the upper coach screw enter the body where a mesh-batten lies
behind- and the lower screw where the walls are thickened to 36 b h b
mm :Y t e entrance- atten.
Position a leg on the body, with the drill through the top hol d d. .
. e an 1ocate 1n the p1lot hole.
Deepen the prlot hole to almost the full length of the coa h
c -screw. Insert a Smm dia coach
screw 90mm long and screw right in using a spanner F' th
'd f th b d ' · IX e upper screw through the other
Ieg on th at sr e o e o y.

50
p

o legs so that the feet are parallel. Drill Sm

d. .
1 y the tw m 1a p1lot hole f 11 d
SPa . rted through the lower holes in the legs s u epth W1th the
drill bit ,nse . . . 1nsert coach screws 65mm I
. . /most imposstble to get the legs lmed up accur, t ong. Note
h t tt tS a a e1Y unless you pre-d .11 h
t a s drill guides as described. n t e legs and
use them a
bling the hive, check that the height of the bod · f
After assem Y IS com ortable for
th of the legs if needed. you, and re-
trim the leng

pilot hole
for "-
coach- ""'-,

c
~-
85

I 88

coach-screws:
upper 90mm long;
lower 65mm long.

To increase the life of the hive, set the hive on bricks half buried in the ground, as above. If a
leg ever becomes loose, replace the lower coach screw with a bolt right through the side-
you can get at the back for fixing the nut.
Note that as all the coach screws are fixed from the outside, it is possible to remove the legs
for convenience if ever the hive has to be moved while still occupied, or if it becomes
necessary to replace the legs for maintenance. Removing just the lower screws allows the
legs to be kept on the hive but swivelled up for convenience when moving. Substitute a loose
bolt for the lower coach screw if you plan to move the hive often.

Upper
coach
screw
loosened

51
 2 CARRVBOXES I NUCLEUS HIVES

support
frame ~
~ ......

lo
I
end-waH
side-
wall
~-

Com nents: 2 nucleus hives r hive

.I
I
'
i i
I'
I

''
.I
:I

I i
I.
'' Shaping the components:

'' Side-bar: cut through the standard 70x34mm side-bar section to separate the top-bar from
. ~ I
the bottom bar. Then cut to exact lengths of 218mm.
Jt is essential that the ends of the top-bars are cut square, to avoid the boxes twisting during assembly.

I '

':·
Floor: drill a hole at the centre (18mm dia) to provide an entrance for bees when the box is
placed over a clearer-board for clearing bees from deep frames.

52
Assembly:
Side assemblies: Drill and screw the top-bar to the side-wall from the inside with SOmm wood-
screws. Glue and pin the frame-support to the top of the side-wall With 12 mm tacks.
Final assembly: mark two vertical lines 371 mm apart on the inside face of each end-wall.
Drill and push pins to fix an end wall onto two side- assemblies, matching up the outside
corners. Check carefully that the inside faces are touching the vertical lines, and that the tops
of the side-bars are level with the tops of the end-walls. Take apart, glue and fix. Fix on the
other end-wall.
Set the box upright on a flat surface and check it does not rock. Glue 1 pin the bottom-bars
with somm pins driven from the inside.
Glue/pin the floor onto the bottom edges of the side-walls with 30mm pins.

r
r
~.- ~ ..
• -,. ~~~
.~ :;.~.,
475

.: '.·/r
~

' .·
. . \,.
/
. ,.

nominal3mm bottom hole 18mm dia

clearance

Section through nucleus hive

Final notes!
These carry-boxes I nucleus hives are probably the part of the hive you will make last - but
some way to store and transport 14x 12 frames is an essential feature of the Dartington Long
Deep Hive. The design is a bit elaborate just for a carry-box, but at some time you are likely to
want to raise a nucleus.
ff time has run out, the cardboard boxes in which honey jars come are 12 inches deep and
long enough for frames. Paint the cardboard with emulsion paint and glue on two end bars
to give handles for lifting - but make proper wooden carry-boxes when time allows, as it is
difficult to make cardboard boxes moth proof for winter.

53
 L, ------------------------------

6. Plastic fittings: - varroa trays and

feeders
of mites in the colony by catching the
A Varroa tray can be used to assess the number xtra piece to make and keep
. h h fl0 or This is however an e
natural fall of m1tes through t e mes · thods of assessing mites may
for occasional use - it has not been listed in the plans. (Other me
be preferred - DEFRA publish guidance). . . . h UK Bee feeders need to be
Some way of feeding bees will be nee~ed in most local~tles ~n-ta~d a~ove all should be easily
light to carry about and should stack t1ghtly for convemenc .
. d by adapting standard plastic
1
washed to maintain hygiene. Feeders are most eas1 Yma e .
household goods obtained from a hardware store. Sizes of household plastic are not
standard, but th;se by certain manufacturers just happen to fit the hive - you need to check
before buying.
VARROA TRAYS. An effective form of Varroa Tray is a plain sheet of painted 9mm ply 960 x
365 mm. Remove both Landing Boards and slide the tray in from the rear- a 9mm sheet will
span easily when supported just at the ends. Remove the tray and examine the debris for
fallen mites after three days.
A smaller, lighter alternative is to buy cheap standard household plastic tea trays from a
hardware store whose length, excluding the projecting handles, is 375mm- 4mm more than
the internal width of the BODY (371 mm). Drill3mm holes through the side walls, positioned
260mm and 360 mm from each bottom corner, 12mm up from the lower edge. Insert 30mm
masonry pins from the inside (or flat-headed screws), part-way into each hole, leaving 12mm
'
l
projecting on the inside. Hook a rubber band over each pair of projecting pins. j
l
.I
In use, push a Varroa Tray up underneath the hive from one side sloping slightly upwards and
pull the band your side down around the tray handles. Go to the other side of the hive and
pull down the tray and slip on the other band.

11 1111 1111 Ill 11

varroa tray,
Varroa trays held up against
held up by
bottom edge of the hive by rubber rubber band
bands slipped under the handles pulled down
and over the
tray's handles

li
I! 54
-
SHALLOW FEEDERS, each of 5 pint capacity can be cut f •
TWO . . ' rom a p1ast1c 'carry all'
'ded its overall length 1s JUSt less than 371 mm, so that the feed h
prov1 ers ang down from the
frame supports within the hive body. .
An alternative is to use a ,40cm' plastic plant t rough from a garden centre- 'Stewart
Plastics' are a suitable make that just fits inside the hive ..

In both cases, cut the corners off at 45 degrees so that the feeder fits hard down on the frame
supports so leaving a bee space above the feeder for the bees to get in.
Shallow feeders are used for a stimulative feed of weak syrup in spring, emergency feeding in
summer in case of dire weather and a top-up feed in autumn.

A plastic 'midi-storage box' can be used as a DEEP FEEDER of 16 pint capacity. Buy a box
less than 370mm long, so the feeder w ill sit inside on the floor of the hive .. The feeder must
be placed touching the rear dummy frame. The bees then run down into the feeder _ they
will not cross the floor and run upwards as they are stopped by the rim of the box.

Both shallow and deep feeders are open at the top. Lay a crumpled plastic shopping bag as a
float on top of the syrup, to save bees from drowning. Bees drink from around the edge of a
plastic bag, with only a few ever drowning if the bag is folded neatly. Shopping bag is also
easily obtained and disposable - but you can cut a piece of wood or corrugated plastic to fit
the bottom as an alternative.

Many beekeepers now prefer to feed FONDANT rather than sugar syrup as no time is needed
to prepare the feed starting with bag sugar. Fondant can be bought from local bakers who
use it to ice cakes. A block of fondant can be placed in a trough feeder. The fondant must be
wrapped in plastic (cling film) to avoid drying out and becoming too hard for the bees to
remove.

If fondant is used when the bees have run out of food in winter, it must be placed right above
the cluster. A Clearer Board is substituted for a Cover Board right over the cluster and the
fondant laid over the hole in the Clearer. lt saves mess if the fondant is placed in an up-side
down plastic food storage box with a hole cut in the lid -the hole is positioned over the hole
in the Clearer Board. The advantage is that the plastic box traps vapour rising from the cluster
so providing a supply of water to help the bees dilute the fondant.

These plastic items will not last as long as the hive but hopefully replacements will remain
obtainable from local hardware shops. You will always need to check sizes.

55
 7. A simple saw guide
• I h cut' full sheets into sections
dl lt is easier to first roug
Full-sized ply sheets are heavy to han e. battens on the ground and
. . the full sheet on spare .
as discussed above, perhaps JUSt laymg . can now be bought qu1t e
. . . (Cordless orcular saws
runnmg a c1rcular saw along a line by eye. . h quicker and more accurate
. . d onents IS then muc
cheaply) . The final tnmm1ng of plywoo comp 'd 1 The time it takes to make the
. th r with a lsaw-gUI e .
if you use a hand-held orcular saw toge e f nsive wood!
. I
guide is soon recovered, and 1t can a so save wasting a lot o expe

pins tapped
down into
workpiece to stop
movem ent

workpiece
------s of

saw cut
is pushed up
against the
end-stop;
end-stop is
pinned down
to baseboard

The saw is guided by the upstand

on the cross-piece

The base-board is made from a spare piece of 9mm or 18mm ply (or some other flat, stiff
board), 1220mm wide overall by say 750mm long (not critical), with 34mm softwood edge
battens.

The cross-piece and edge-stop are of melamine-faced chipboard, widely sold as cheap
shelving, which provides a hard, straight edge.

Sacrificial softwood battens 12mm thick are glued to the baseboard, to save the baseboard
from being scored by the saw. Those battens reduce the gap under the crosspiece to 22mm
high - convenient for workpieces 18mm thick.

The guide needs to be set on trestles or a firm bench.

56
Making the guide

Rip a strip 50mm wide off the side of the melam1 ne shelving and scr t h
ew on o t e cross-ptece
as the upstand . Position the upstand so that the saw blade run s 1 Smm f h
· c1ear o t e edge to
avoid wear in use. The upstand must be exactly parallel to the edge (Alter t
. · na 1ve1y, pos1t1on
the upstand so that the saw will cut through the cross-piece on its first pass, and let the saw
establish its own path).

Screw on the edge stop. Then fix the cross-piece with just one screw at one end. Adjust the
cross-piece so that it lies exactly at right angles to the edge-stop - then screw down the other
end. (To get a perfect right angle, use the corner of a large piece of plywood, and check and
check again! -do not use hardboard, for some reason the sheets are not always made square)
Using the guide

First mark out full-length where the workpiece is to be cut.

Position the workpiece under the cross-piece, checking that the line is clearly visible 1.5mm
away from the edge of the cross-piece. Fix in position by pressing a couple of 40mm masonry
pins through pre-drilled 3mm holes through the cross-piece, and tap down into the
workpiece, leaving the heads protruding. The damage caused to the w orkpiece is very small,
and the grip is very positive (if the workpiece moves whilst being cut, you waste a valuable
piece of plywood!). The masonry pins pull out easily for re-use.

Small workpieces cannot be gripped under the cross-piece. Push the timber right through up
against an end-stop -which is a batten you pin down so that the exposed timber is w hat you
want. Remember to add the thickness of the saw cut (3mm) to when postioning the end-
stop.
For safety, stand the far side of the cross-piece when operating the saw. (You naturally will, 1f
right-handed!). You can still see the line whilst cutting .

57
 8. Range of lengths of Da rt •n
. gton hives
. ach for ma k.tng hives from plywood. All
Dartington hives represent a new design appro f mes either BS shallow or
1 ix Hoffman ra '
have fixed open mesh floors and honeyboxes for on Y s . ds _ the hobbyist the
it parttcular nee •
standard depth. The range includes four length5 to su t keep costs to a
r
queen breeder, the person with special needs, the st.d e tner who wants o
minimum and people who want to continue with square hives.

Each length of hive can be made in various models or styles.

lt should be clear how to adapt the construction information already given.

The Dartington Long Deep (OLD) hive, 950mm long, ho Id s 21 BS 14 x 12 deep frames
.
between two dummies, and four honey-boxes each ho Id.tng BS shallow frames. Destgned for
hobby use in a fixed location.

'
t
l'
[
f

!
OLD 'country' hive for 21 frames
- shown with pent roof & four standard honey-boxes

The Dartington Long Standard (DLS) hive, 950mm long, holds 21 BS standard brood
frames 8 Y2 inches deep between two dummies, and four honey-boxes also holding BS
standard frames. The hive has the same depth as a OLD hive (2 x 8.5 = 12 + 5.4 inches). The
use of one size frame throughout brings advantages. lt is recommended for hobby use by
beekeepers already used to standard frames.

58
The oartington Extended Deep (DED} hive, 1170 mm long overall, holds 27 brood frames
two dummy frames and five or more dividers to form separate compartments for mating '

qUeens · The DED hive can hold up to five standard honey-boxes_ but as an altern at 1ve,
' .
1t can
be worked as a simple 'horizontal' hive, w ith no need for honey-boxes _ the beekeeper
then handles only single deep f rames (about 3.5 kilos or 81bs), all at one level. . The roof can
be made in sections, all hinged to the hive, wh ich it is hoped w ill bring beekeeping to more
people with special needs.
~ ~
L
1111 1111 1111 Ill

1:: p

DED (queen rearing) hive for 27 frames

- shown with pagoda roof & five standard honey-boxes

The Oartington Migratory Standard (DMS} hive, 710 mm long overall, holds 15 BS
standard brood frames (8 5/8 ins deep) between two dummies, covered by six deep honey-
boxes each also holding six BS standard frames (8 5/8 ins deep). Lighter construction and
reduced length halve the dead weight of the hive. lt is designed for migratory beekeeping
but beekeepers should still only lift an occupied hive when working in pairs.

The Dartington Square Deep (DSD} hive, 475mm square, holds 11 BS 14" x 12" brood
frames between two thin dummies. lt is covered by six deeper honey-boxes, arranged in three
layers. The design offers an economic alternative to National hives for conventional
beekeeping with square hives whilst still reducing the size and weight of an individual super.
I I
I J

c _nP ci[L S\ ~
eft
11 \r If \\
DMS hive for 15 BS standard brood DSD hive for 11 deep fra~es - er
'th gable roof and SIX deep
frames on a loose stand - with flat shown w1
honey-boxes
roof & six deeper honey-boxes also
59
taking BS standard frames
9. POSTSCRIPT

Construction Information has been published to enable handy beekeepers to make

hives for themselves and try out the new approach to recreational beekeeping called
New Beekeeping.

I estimate that an experienced home carpenter could make a batch of 8 hives in two
weeks, cutting the components in batches. Your first hive will take much longer in
proportion- it always takes time to learn and to set out each step.

I realise however that whereas local associations may be willing to give a new system a
trial - for fun - no one may be keen on making the trial hive. I am willing in principle
to help associations to get started, so far as is practical at a distance. If making the
association's hive has landed on you, do get in touch. At the least make sure you
have obtained a supply of the free flyer to hand out when your hive is admired in the
apiary. There is also a 20-page illustrated booklet: Introduction to Dartington
Hives. Sample copies are free and bulk supplies are available for selling on to visitors.

The reason for copyrighting the design of Dartington hives is to ensure hives are made
accurately but, to widen accessibility to New Beekeeping, one supplier1o has been
11
licensed to make hives for sale . No fee has been charged for the licence this
information is published to help others to benefit from the experience gained in nearly
50 years spent in keeping bees and experimenting. Both are fun 1

10 Colin Francis, High Wycombe beehives@hotmail.co.uk www·dart·1ngtonh'1ves.co.uk

11 Any other person or company wishing to make hives for sale will need p . . . ..
ermiSSIOn mwnting.

60
I
 Hives at BuzzWorks, Hitchin's Community Bee Garden.
Come and visit!

HoneyWorks Community Garden and Bee Training Centre, Hitch in

There are 18 hives among wildflowers - and
a wildlife pond to be enjoyed by all the family.

Bee Books new & old · Ash View · lump Lane

Much Birch · Herefordshire HR2 BHP