Howland Blackiston - Building Beehives For Dummies

Building Beehives For Dummies

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Copyright 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019931687

ISBN 978-1-119-54438-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-54440-1 (ebk); 978-1-119-54443-2 (ebk)

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 3

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 4
4. Chapter 18
5. Chapter 19

Beekeepers are a self-reliant lot. Theyre quick to find practical ways to care for their bees and discover innovative, cost-effective solutions to beekeeping problems. Typically, beekeepers are passionate about nature and the well-being of the environment. So its no wonder that more and more beekeepers are finding out how to build their own beehives and equipment. Sure, you can purchase kits from beekeeping supply vendors, but doing it yourself is very enjoyable and satisfying. You may even save some money! In todays green world of self-sufficiency, sustainability, and back-to-basics mentality, why not roll up your sleeves and make a beeline for a little side hobby that both you and your bees will appreciate and benefit from?

Whether youre a new beekeeper or a seasoned old-timer, this book provides you with a step-by-step approach for building some of the worlds most popular hive designs and beekeeping accessories. And dont fret if you dont know much about carpentry or woodworking Ive kept the designs and instructions as simple and straightforward as possible.

If you poke around the Internet you can drum up a variety of plans for building beehives and accessories. The problem is that almost none of these offers lucid, step-by-step instructions and illustrations for how to build and assemble these hives. None offers a detailed materials list so you know how much wood, hardware, and fasteners you need for a particular design. They often lack explanations of how certain designs benefit the bees and enhance your ability to be a better beekeeper. They seldom have instructions on how to make certain cuts or joinery.

In contrast, youll find all the information and answers you need in this book: the pros and cons associated with each design, estimated building costs, degree of difficulty, detailed lists of what materials to buy, exact specs on how to cut the lumber, precise instructions and clear illustrations for assembly, and more. I even include a chapter on ten things you can do to add special touches and embellishments to the designs in this book (see ).

This book includes designs for six different beehives (), including frames. I selected the designs based on their overall popularity among todays backyard beekeepers and their compatibility with commercially available equipment, add-ons, and accessories.

Ive organized the material in this book in a logical way to help you quickly find the information you need and go straight to it. Heres some good news for you skimmers out there: You dont have to read this book from cover to cover to build a beehive. If youre an old pro at woodworking, you can skip the text dealing with woodworking tools, equipment, materials, and skills. If youre an experienced beekeeper, you can skip the text that explains the components of a hive and their significance to bees. Youre welcome to make a beeline to the design that beckons you and just start building! (But if you decide to read the book straight through and absorb all the information, I wont complain.)

Before you get started, you should be aware of a few conventions that is, standard formatting techniques that are used in this book:

• I use bold text to highlight the key words in bulleted lists and the action parts of numbered steps for assembling your hives and equipment.
• When I introduce a new term I put it in italics the first time and follow up with a simple definition. I also use italics to add emphasis.
• Website addresses appear in monofont to make them stand out.