The Apiary
My apiary (bee yard) plan is rather simple, a single hive with two hive bodies with a screened bottom board. The hive bodies are the deep variant which will allow for easier management such as reversing. The screened bottom board is helpful with varroa mite management - the screen allows the mites to drop out of the hive where they can not find their way back onto a bee. A varroa mite management technique is to use powdered sugar to help dislodge the mites - the sugar triggers a preening response from the bees and the mites fall to the bottom of the hive and through the screen.
I purchased the hive supplies on 15 March 2008 and assembled the hive bodies. My oldest son assisted in the pickup and assembly of the hive and is really excited to have a hive. I placed the freshly assembled hive in the yard where I intend to locate the hive to see how it looked. The hive bodies, bottom board, and top cover need to be painted with several coats of exterior paint before the hive can be left outdoors.
The hive stand is a double width milk crate that I picked up at some point in my travels over the years. I have seen several other bee keepers who use the milk crates and it seems to put the hive at just right height for easy manipulation and removal of the honey supers. I had considered cinder blocks, but they are heavy and I don’t have any on hand which would have added yet another hidden cost to the project.
I will not be able to draw honey off the hive until next year since the bees will need all the honey they can produce to see them through the winter. If all goes well with this hive, I plan to add a second hive next year and have surplus honey next summer.
