instructables

Native Bee Hive

by PowellMade

Before I start, I would like to say its been some years When I learned what they were, I thought "wow, what
since I published this and I have learned so much if I could make a home for them and keep 'em?"
more about hive design. I keep stingless bees full
time now and have a whole website dedicated to Currently bees worldwide are facing many disturbing
them. problems. The use of nano insecticides and the
parasitic varroa mite are affecting the bees way of
If you would like free plans for an updated hive that life. The effect of nano insecticides on a bee cause
works much better then this one. Please visit this Link confusion and the bee is unable to find her way back
home. She then starves to death and dies alone. With
My brother found a water meter box out the front of the worker bees dying, it leaves the hive no choice
his house and told me to come and look at the bugs but to send the nurse bees to do the job of the
workers prematurely. While the nurse bees are out,
Native Bee Hive: Page 1
 workers prematurely. While the nurse bees are out,
in it. After a bit of research I discovered they were in the hive is more susceptible to disease and parasites,
fact Australian native stingless bees. That's right. A compounding the problem. For us, this would mean
tiny, non-stinging, hardworking honey-making insect. all flowering plants would not produce fruit. Basically,
These small bees sometimes make their home in no bees = no food.
water meters out the front of people's homes. This
often ends in them being sprayed with fly spray I've always been interested in insects right from a
because people don't know what they are. If they young age. They encompass many amazing things
aren't sprayed, bees in water meters often die due to into one package. They are small, different, beautiful
the summer heat. and often carry their own specially engineered body
parts.
These small bees are extremely important here in
Australia because they are very efficient pollinators. This is the story of those bees and the hive I made
Increasing crop production over 100% in some cases. them.
They also are responsible for pollenating the flowers
that european bees can't fit into such as the
macadamia tree.

http://youtu.be/yEu6i-vb4ak

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Step 1: Hive Design
There has been a bit of research into hive design for
Australian native bees. This instructable is merely an
overview on how to make a hive, plans may vary
based on your geographic location.
The hive I am making is based on a tried and tested
design. The specifications are what many people
have discovered to be more or less the ideal living
space for these small bees. As most of these hives
come from trees they can live in a fairly small place.
In northern Australia the hive designs change a bit.
Native Bee Hive: Page 3
I drew some quick pictures of what the hive basically
looks like without a honey collection area (honey
super). Pretty simple hey. The one I made in the
video has a honey super.
I believe if the bee problems persist we may see
native bees exported to other countries.
If you are interested in making an Australian native
bee hive you can go here: There is a full set of plans.
Step 2: Cutting the Sides

I made my box as one and then cut it into pieces to ensure equal squareness of the boxes. I used a dropsaw or
compound mitre saw at work to cut the mitres to make each side to measure. I then used a router to rebate the
sides at the top and base so I could slide my top and base pieces in.

Note: When using a circular saw, always set it to its minimum depth. This ensures clean cuts and easy control.

Step 3: Fixing Sides

Here I used a trick my father taught me that his father
taught him (don't ask who taught him). You simply
glue the sides up and wrap a string around the whole
lot. You then slide blocks of timber in and move them
back and forth till your mitres are correct. When it's
right you can leave it to dry or fix it together like I did.
I used stainless decking screws to fix it together. This
will prevent rust and future dry rot in the timber.

Native Bee Hive: Page 4

Step 4: Splitting the Boxes

I then cut the box two times by marking a line around the whole thing and circular sawing it. Finish corners with a
hand saw. Remember to keep the depth of the circular saw at its minimum. Finish all sharp edges by taking off the
arris.

Native Bee Hive: Page 5

Step 5: Plate for Honey Super

One species of Australian native bees make their
brood with a central spiral. They build this spiral
upwards until they hit something. This plate stops
them and renders the top part of the hive only useful
for storing honey. In future it makes extracting the
honey easier.
I used an alloy composite plate here. It has alloy both
sides and plastic in the middle. It's very cool stuff.
Measure the plate and cut it to size with the circular
saw. Drop it in and use some pan head screws to
hold it in the right position.
(Spiral Comb Image courtesy of abc.net)

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Step 6: Cut the Lid.

I cut the lid to size next and used an electric planer to angle the cuts. This will help in making an almost air tight fit.
Fill the rebate with glue before pushing the top in. For the base, cut a piece to size and put it in. Fix both top and
base with screws through the sides.

Step 7: Entrance Hole and Painting

Next use a 13mm or half inch spade bit to make an entrance hole. Place a block of timber inside the box to run the
drill into to prevent the exit point from splitting. You can also add a couple of small holes in the base. These will
allow honey to escape while transferring the hive. If you don't your bees may drown.

Following along from here, paint the entire exterior of the hive with a waterbased non-toxic, light-coloured paint.

Native Bee Hive: Page 7

Step 8: Make Roof

Though this design does not really need a roof, I chose to make one to keep the heat off.

I used some square canadian cedar to make two small trusses and joined them with straight members. I then used
some thin cedar as panels to clad the roof with. I also fitted two blocks on top of the hive to act as holding blocks
so the roof cannot be swept off with wind.

Native Bee Hive: Page 8

Step 9: Move the Hive

Next, use a sharp knife to run around the edges of the
existing hive and cut it out. Once free, lift the entire
hive and place it inside your new box. Place the box
on or next to where the old hive was positioned. Use
a tension strap to hold the hive closed until the bees
seal all the cracks up with resin. Use some of the
entrance wax from the old hive and place it around
their new entrance. This will help them find their way
in.
Interesting fact: The wax on the entrance has
antibacterial properties. It's pretty much a door mat for
them to wipe their feet before coming in.
If you have any questions on making your own hive or
on native bees in general, feel free to private
message. I will help where I can.
My hope for the future of bees is that it becomes a
normal thing for a household to keep bees. They truly
are a gift to those who love and care for these small
creatures.

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Step 10: Updated Video!

A lot has changed since I made my first native bee hive. Here is an updated version of the hive I use now. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwYbf9B7eu8

Stingless bees are pretty fascinating. I just love the way they build their comb with the brood in the
center and honey around it. Good on you for working to help these bees. Please report back the
long term effectiveness of this hive (aka, if they abscond after a year or so, if they stay forever,
etc).
I do not believe that the stingless bees native to Australia have the ability to abscond, as their
queen cannot fly after she has mated.
I will post some pictures of the filled up hive in the years to come.

Great work! I think its pretty amazing that we still have native bees,.. I have never seen any in my
life.. mostly european bees and wasps..
Fantastic. Great to know you are looking after our native bees. I have only ever seen native bees
'up north' in the NT. A very different wax and honey, too. Both dark. Down here in Vic, I have only
seen introduced European bees. In fact my youngest son and myself are looking at getting a hive
shortly. All my kids love their honey!
Anyway, I'm extremely impressed with your work.
Regards James
If the bees are sting less then how do they defend them selfs?

They have small nippers on them like an ant. I've seen one bee come out of the hive and grab
another one in the air and chop it's head in half.
It's important to remember that hives of this sort can't be used to harvest honey. You would have to
destroy most of the hive to do so. (There are laws against doing that.) You can only use this hive to
house and protect the bees, and take advantage of their handy pollination skills.
I am glad you made this comment. The upper portion of the hive is made with a separator plate.
There is a 20mm gap at each end of the plate so the bees can still get around and store honey in
this. This is called the honey super. In warmer climates the honey can be harvested with very little
damage to the bees. You can watch a video on a local man (Robert luttrell) collecting honey .
here:

Once drained the honey super is then placed back on and the bees will continue to use the area to
store honey
I wish these would migrate to the southern USA... They sound like a very docile bee..

I learnt a bit here .Thank You Now I just have to sort the horseflys from the bees . I'm up near
Cairns . Do you have any sites that give info on this region or what differences in hive design
should be made?
Horse flys!!! ouch. You need to make a horse fly trap. They are visual hunters.
In regards to a web page this is the central hub for getting in contact with people near there.
http://www.aussiebee.com.au/australian-stingless-b...

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I would make the walls much thicker there so the bees can feel cool inside your hive. 45mm or
larger walls out of cypress pine to prevent termites and provide insulation. I would make a roof that
was of skillion design to allow water to run off , also encompass the use of air flow right through
this design. So the heat is moved off the top of the hive. A breather hole or two of about 5mm
drilled towards the top of the box will enable them to open and close it as they please.
Recently I watched a youtube video of a hive that can be split vertically. I liked this design because
it means that the brood is always working after a split in both hives. You can see that video here.

//www.youtube.com/embed/IGCAK4q7MiA

Combining all these features: Skillion with airflow, breather holes, vertical split, thick cypress walls,
into one hive will help to make your bees prosper. New hives are being designed all the time so its
not a bad idea to throw together a bunch of tried and tested ideas into one ultimate hive. Keep in
mind simplicity and accuracy for future splits when designing yours.
If you need any help drawing one up let me know.
Kind regards
Nick
I enjoyed that thanks Nick - Ill be on the lookout for some local nests .

Not the bees! Noooooo!

Haha I wish you could post gifs in comments I know exactly the scene. Thanks for making me
laugh.
Thank you for this information. This is fascinating, I will keep an eye out for a hive.

This is a great project! Nature approves of your efforts

haha that comment made my morning. Thanks for that

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