Red Roof Inn

I’m planning on expanding my honeybee operations this year, from 6 colonies to 18. That’s a big jump, and as part of the process, I’m going to need a lot of new hives. Not being one for doing things the easy (or cheap) way, after a lot of consideration I’m going to make my own. It’s usually more efficient to buy the parts and assemble them, but I have some special details I want. One is all cedar construction, to be extra rot resistant in this damp environment and not require painting (bees are particularly sensitive to chemicals).  My friend Ryan likes woodworking, and he’s already pledged to help me make all the boxes.

I also like what they call a “garden top,” a sloped roof like a house instead of the flat top you see on many beehives. This helps shed water better, and increases ventilation in the hive for better moisture control. I was originally hoping to clad them in copper (it looks SO COOL), but when I got the quote back from the local sheet metal place, they wanted $816 for the 12 roofs. Um, that’s not going to happen. I stewed on what to do for a while, then remembered the obvious: I still have all the old roofing we tore off of the cottage, lying around in the yard. I cut some of it up as a test, and was pleasantly surprised by the results. Looks good! And it will do a great job keeping my bees dry. It took me about an hour to make that one, and I’m sure it will go faster now that I have the technique worked out.

And with the cedar and red metal, the hives will totally match the cottage! Disturbingly cute…