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Instructions to Make a Top Bar Beehive

If you are a bee or honey enthusiast, you will find the design of the top bar beehive quite beneficial. The design of the hive allows the insect-lover to fully investigate and witness the process by which bees create and maintain their hives. The honey enthusiast will enjoy in the delectable delight of comb honey and can even opt to make candles, balm and other beeswax products.

Things You'll Need

Wood sheets (at least 3/4 inch thick)
1 3/8-inch wood bars, 30
4-inch wood bar
Beeswax
Saw
Nails

Instructions

Constructing the Hive Body
- 1
  Cut the wood for the bottom of the hive, measuring 10 inches by 56.875 inches.
- 2
  Cut the wood for the short sides of the hive. These pieces will be in a trapezoid shape. The large angles should measure 120 degrees, the long sides should measure 12 inches, and the short sides should measure 10 inches.
- 3
  Cut the wood for the long sides of the hive. These pieces will be in a trapezoid shape. The large angles should measure 120 degrees, the long sides should measure 56.875 inches and the short sides should measure 12 inches.
- 4
  Construct the box by nailing the sides first to the base and then to each other.
Constructing the Top Bars
- 5
  Measure the length of the constructed box, including the width of the wood constructing the sides.
- 6
  Cut the 1 3/8-inch bars to the length measured in Step 1 (there should be 30 of them).
- 7
  Cut the 4-inch bar to the length measured in Step 1.
- 8
  Mark the center of the short ends of the box. Mark the center of the 4-inch bar. Nail the 4-inch bar so the center marks line up. This is called the "landing bar."
- 9
  Dip one end of each of the 1 3/8-inch bars in melted beeswax. This provides a starting point from which the bees will construct their hive. Nail the 1-3/8-inch bars, 15 on each side of the landing bar, leaving 3/8 inch between each bar.

Insects & Science