Making a deck for bees with your own hands. All about beehives

What is log beekeeping? This concept appeared a long time ago, when the boards were replaced by decks, but hives had not yet been invented. Such a house is closer to the natural home of bees, because in it they can organize their nest the way they need, and not the way the beekeeper wants. The hive deck allows the bees to make their own honeycombs, making their honey more aromatic and tasty.

Currently, beekeeping is a rather labor-intensive activity, especially during the period of active honey collection. Then the time comes when the workers need to be treated and the hives need to be prepared for wintering. Whereas log beekeeping for beginners requires virtually no human intervention. All you need to do is build a deck and populate a bee colony in it. And only in autumn comes the time when you need to collect honey.

How to make a deck for bees with your own hands: drawings

The bee block is made quite simply; for this you need to have the necessary tools and accessories.

Beekeeping in logs has come from ancient times; it used to be called side beekeeping. And it all started when people came up with the idea of hollowing out sides (hollows) in tree trunks, thereby creating a natural habitat for bees.

Making a deck for bees with your own hands is very simple

The hollows were hollowed quite high, because the natural homes of wild honey plants are located at a height of about 3-4 m from the roots of the trees. And making a bee fence is only half the job, you need to create everything necessary conditions for check-in. Typically, it took almost 24 months to fully provide comfortable living conditions for insects.

And a little later they began to chisel the sides in the trunks of hollow trees, thereby enlarging the apiary. To do this, it was necessary to cut the tree trunk into 2 parts, hollow out the hollows and connect them again. It was this type of activity that was called beekeeping.

Making a deck

How to build a log deck and what to coat it with so that bees can live in it? The first thing you need to do is prepare necessary tools and materials:

log from hardwood trees, the diameter of which should be at least 90 cm, for which birch is perfect;
tree cuts 6 cm thick in the amount of 2 pieces;
a piece of cotton fabric;
large chisel;
electric or gasoline saw;
nails;
loops.

Important! The prepared log must be absolutely dry, otherwise rot and mold will appear in it.

Dimensions and drawings

Before starting construction, you need to make a drawing of the future hive, on which you indicate the exact dimensions of the structure. Drawing is painstaking, as you need to very accurately calculate all the necessary dimensions.

Instructions for the production of bee houses:

Using a cutter, circles are cut from the ends of the log, retreating a few centimeters from the edge of the log. This notch will serve as a guide for cutting out the core of the trunk.
Using a chainsaw, you need to cut the wood and remove it with a chisel. You should get a hollow with a diameter of about 6 cm.
To make the hollow smooth, it needs to be treated with coarse sandpaper.
Close the upper and lower holes with prepared cuts. Moreover, the upper cut needs to be nailed, and the lower one must be attached using loops. This is necessary so that you can later climb into the hollow. It is better to immediately cover the lids with fabric, since bees can build honeycombs directly on it.
Using a drill, drill a tap hole, the diameter of which should be about 9 mm.
If one solid 1.5-meter log is not found, then several pieces are fastened using self-tapping screws.
The inner walls of the deck must be thoroughly lubricated with propolis, this will attract bees, thereby populating the hive.
The hive is secured to a tree using ropes or inserted into a fork between thick branches.

Benefits of Beekeeping in Decks

Bees build honeycombs in nests that are located close to each other, the distance between which does not exceed 3 cm.

The log apiary requires attention only 2 times a year

The log apiary requires attention only 2 times a year: in the fall to collect honey, and in the spring to clean the bee house.

Pay attention! During cleaning, you can find black honeycombs, which differ from the rest in their size. They must be removed as they are too small. The young animals in such combs become small and develop worse.

thanks to living conditions that are as close as possible to natural ones, bee colonies are less likely to get sick;
in such hives, the bees themselves create honeycombs, and most often their sizes exceed artificial ones;
the number of bees in a deck is much greater than in a regular hive;
caring for such an apiary takes very little time;
Due to the fact that this type of beekeeping is the least dangerous, even the most inexperienced beekeepers can practice it.

Onboard beekeeping

Bort is a bee's home in the form of a hollow. To create a honeycomb in a hollow, you need to secure two crossed perches. To make it more convenient to collect honey, it is recommended to make special holes into which to insert sticks. Typically the dimensions of the border are 1 m in length and 50 cm in width.

Each tree can contain from 1 to 3 nests, and such proximity is not at all harmful to the trees. The height at which the lowest hollow is located should not be less than 4.5 m. By the way, according to experienced beekeepers, honey collected from the upper hives is the most delicious and aromatic. There were cases when the sides were placed at a height of 15 m.

Important! Borti can last more than 300 years, and the average amount of honey obtained from one hollow reaches 2.5 buckets.

What is beekeeping

Beekeeping is an ancient form of bee breeding, which involves bees settling not in ordinary hives, but in hollows. From Dahl's dictionary it is known that beekeeping means forest breeding of bees.

Unfortunately, at present this type of beekeeping has practically disappeared. But there is still a place in Russia where people are still engaged in beekeeping. And it is located in the Bashkir town of Shulgan-Tash. This reserve is the pride of the country, since only there people still sacredly honor the traditions of their ancestors.

beekeeping

Everything related to the work of a beekeeper was strictly kept secret and passed down only by inheritance. People who did not know all the intricacies of the profession sincerely considered it very dangerous and mysterious, and people who were engaged in this type of activity were sorcerers or werewolves.

Indeed, beekeeping is one of the most mysterious areas of activity. After all, if a beekeeper is bitten 100 times, he can expect death. And forest bees are much larger than all the others. Up to 20 thousand insects can live in each borti at the same time. That is why people engaged in this profession must have special skills and knowledge about bees, as well as experience. The beekeeper must be a physically resilient person, because in order to collect honey, you need to climb to great heights.

Differences between on-board honey

Honey from forest bees is a unique delicacy. Its distinguishing features are purity and a huge amount of useful substances in its composition, which is why it is so popular in alternative medicine. Since its composition is a storehouse of nutrients and beneficial substances, it perfectly strengthens immune system and treats many diseases.

It is believed that wild honey perfectly treats sore throat, flu and other colds.

The log apiary is the best option for beginners

For a log hive, you can raise a family of bees yourself, but it is best to buy a ready-made bee package.

The finished deck must be installed on a special stand, while maintaining an inclination angle of 30°. Many years of experience have proven that this arrangement of hives promotes excellent ventilation and also simplifies the collection of honey from the upper part. But if the angle of inclination is slightly increased, this will significantly complicate the approach to the house. There are also certain rules regarding the height at which the deck should be located - 65-70 cm from the ground. This will help protect the bee's home from precipitation and improve access to it.

Log apiary

The hives need to be located so that they are not exposed to the midday sun, but are in a sunny place, and the entrance should be on the south side. If possible, the deck should be installed in the attic or attic. This height is the most optimal for bees in their natural habitat.

Despite the fact that log beekeeping is a fairly safe activity, when collecting honey you need to be dressed in a special suit - a smoker. It is also recommended to choose the right time to collect honey. It is best to do this when most of the bees have flown out on their own business.

This is how, easily and simply, you can become a beekeeper overnight. The main thing is to have a desire to learn something new and opportunities!

Breeding bees in traditional hives requires a lot of labor and material investment. For those who are just planning to join beekeeping, experienced beekeepers recommend starting with a hive-deck. For beginners, log beekeeping is a more affordable form of keeping bee colonies and a great start to starting apiary business.

The first form of this branch of the economy in our country was side beekeeping, the essence of which was that a hollow (bort) was hollowed out in tree trunks to populate a swarm. This created conditions that were as close as possible to the habitat of wild bees.

For this purpose, tall trees with a powerful trunk were chosen to make the side more than 4 meters from the ground, since bees do not like to settle low. Only after 2 years the beet was ready to be populated by bees.

To increase honey collection, beekeepers made additional sides from hollow trees. The tree trunk was allowed to dry out to protect it from both rotting and cracking. Then they sawed it into two parts and hollowed out the middle. This is where two more names for borti came from - dugout and deck. The blanks were made 1–2 meters high, choosing a trunk with a diameter of more than 80 cm. The upper and lower holes were sealed with wooden circles. Holes for bees were made at the top and bottom of the deck.

The decks sought to be placed high in the trees to create natural conditions for bees. They were attached to the tree using ropes.

Log beekeeping, characterized by its high labor intensity, gradually transformed into the apiary form. Logs made from chopped trees were placed on the ground, hence the word apiary. This approach was a definite impetus for the development of the industry, as work began on selecting bees, strengthening weak families, and honey collection became more gentle for bees, since some began to be left for them to overwinter. Artificial borders turned out to be more mobile; beekeepers had the opportunity to install them in places with a large amount of honey-bearing vegetation.

You can raise a colony for breeding in a log yourself or, which is easier, purchase a bee package.

Bees in such a home are completely independent. The beekeeper disturbs their peace only twice a year: in the fall, when he collects honey, and in the spring, to clean the bee house, and in order to determine whether the colony needs honey to support it after wintering.

Bees moving into new home, arrange it based on their needs. They begin to cover the entrance with propolis, leaving holes for flight. In traditional hives, bees do the same work, but the beekeeper often intervenes in it, trying to control the opening of the hole.

They build honeycombs very close to each other, sometimes leaving a space of no more than 1.2 cm between them.

Over time, black honeycombs are formed, the size of which is smaller than the others. This is a natural process as the queen repeatedly uses the same honeycomb to lay larvae. They gradually accumulate remnants from cocoons and excrement from a growing insect. Bees fill black honeycombs only with honey, ceasing to lay larvae in them, since the young individual cannot develop correctly and fully in them. Bees leave such honeycombs because they know that they cannot continue their species in them. Therefore, in order not to lose a bee colony, which can simply fly away from the deck, such honeycombs must be broken off. The bees will make the extension with new honeycombs.
Advantages and Disadvantages
On-board beekeeping has both its adherents and opponents. The former have a number of undeniable facts on their side.

Pros

The family is healthier. Honey is taken from the hives several times a year, and sugar syrup is left for wintering. It weakens the bees’ immunity and, as a result, diseases appear and mortality increases. Part of the honey located in the upper tier is left untouched in the borti.
Unlike hives, where artificial foundation is used, in decks the bees themselves determine the size of the cells of the honeycombs, which are larger in size than artificial ones. Therefore, individuals grow larger, and therefore stronger, than their relatives in the hive.
Due to the size of the bead (200 l.), the bee colony is larger in number than in the hive. According to average indicators, a hive is three times smaller in volume than a log, and accordingly there are fewer bees there. Therefore, a family living in a borti produces more honey and swarms less often.
On-board beekeeping requires less material costs for the purchase of equipment.
Time spent on care is minimized, since there is no need to carry out regular maintenance as is the case with a hive.
Breeding bees in bees is within the power of every person, as it does not require much physical exertion.
This type of beekeeping is also suitable for beginners because it is safe. There is no need to visit bees frequently to build up frames, check the level of pomor, or rearrange the bodies.

Cons

Bees may not like the new home and will not want to settle in it. There is an opinion among beekeepers that bees distinguish the odors emanating from a tree. Therefore, it is difficult to know in advance whether they will like the deck or not.
Breaking out or cutting out honeycombs when collecting honey can lead to the death of some bees.
Log beekeeping is almost complete independence of the family; the beekeeper has no control over the processes occurring in it.

Making a beehive deck

The trunks of deciduous trees are used to make the deck. Oak, birch, and linden are best suited. Pine material is not used because even after drying it releases resin. The honey in such a hive will be saturated with its smell.

To make a deck from solid wood, you will need a trunk 120 cm long and two circular cuts 6–7 cm thick to seal the bottom and top. The trunk is selected with a diameter of more than 80 cm, so that after removing the core the internal diameter is at least 40 cm.

The workpiece is sawn lengthwise into equal halves. Experts do not advise cutting with a chainsaw, as the wood will retain the smell of gasoline, which insects do not like. Next, the core is hollowed out and cut off. The resulting halves are left to dry and then fastened together. For convenience, a taphole is installed at the place where they are connected along the seam. Its length should be ¾ of the length of the ridge. The ideal width of the taphole is considered to be an opening of 0.8 cm. Since the top of the dwelling is solid, all ventilation is carried out through the taphole.

Important! The wood must be well dried. Otherwise, the deck will become damp inside and fungus may develop.

Covers are made from circular cuts. The top one is hammered tightly into the hole, the bottom one is placed on the hinges. The bottom cover should fit tightly to the deck - this will protect you from the cold in the future. It should also be taken into account that bees can begin to build honeycombs on the lid, so it is better to cover it with fabric.

A modern version of the hive deck

The peculiarity of the deck lies in the arrangement of the honeycombs. If in hives they are located at the end of the entrance, then in the sides they are located lengthwise. During manufacturing, wooden crosspieces are attached inside, to which residents will attach honeycombs.

Organization of a log apiary and honey collection

The deck is installed on the stand at an angle, but not more than 30º. This arrangement promotes good ventilation and prevents the intake of honey from the upper part. A higher angle of inclination will make the approach more difficult. There are certain requirements for the height at which the deck is located - no lower than 70 cm from the ground. This will provide convenient access and protect from snow in winter.

It is important that the deck does not stand at noon under the scorching sun, but at the same time is located on sunny side, let's fly south. Beekeepers advise, if possible, to place a bee house on the second floor or attic. This is a more natural height level for bee keeping.

A log hive should not be installed in a damp place or in a draft. Insects don't like this. It is advisable to consider shelter from the rain.

The deck cannot be moved from place to place; there is a possibility of the honeycombs containing honey breaking off.

Ready honey can be collected only in the second year after the family settles.

A special suit and a smoker are mandatory attributes for collecting honey. Since bees living in borti defend their home more aggressively. It is better to collect honey at a time when most of the family is leaving.

Getting honey for the first time will be difficult because the honeycombs are very close to each other. Therefore, to cut honey, beekeepers adapted a metal rod, one end of which was bent and flattened.

The main task of a beginner in log beekeeping is to ensure that his interests do not come at the expense of the health of his beekeepers.

Today, many owners summer cottages and private homes are passionate about raising bees in order to always have such delicious and useful product like honey However, not everyone has enough time and desire to fully study the issue and properly organize their apiary. If you are interested in obtaining a completely natural product, rich in aroma with maximum content beneficial properties, then you will probably be faced with the question - how to make a deck for bees with your own hands?

What should a hive be like?

In beekeeping stores you can easily buy ready-made evidence and place it on your site. However, such houses require constant care for the bees - you will have to spend a lot of time maintaining their vital functions. A beehive deck is a completely different matter. It is log beekeeping that is more suitable for beginning beekeepers, as it is designed for minimal human intervention in the life of bees. The conditions for bees in such a house are closest to natural. Keeping insects in ordinary hives will involve a lot of trouble for you: you need to feed the bees, change and rearrange the frames, regularly clean the hives, move the houses to winter apartments or insulate them, and much, much more.

A log is the simplest housing for a bee colony. There is no need to even provide a drawing of such a bee house, since its design is extremely simple.

How to make a deck for bees with your own hands

To make a hive from a log, you do not need to have special knowledge or skills. It is enough to have a certain set of tools and skill in handling them. Anyone can make a beehive deck correctly, you simply have no opportunity to make a mistake.

Our ancestors made such dugouts in order to receive more honey from bee colonies. This was the next stage in the development of beekeeping after beekeeping, which involved collecting honey from wild insects. In order not to climb trees in search of hollows with honey, they began to hollow out logs and populate them with bees.

Tools and materials

There are two options for making a do-it-yourself evidence deck for bees. To do this, you need a small set of tools and materials.

Log deck

This type of housing will be closest to a natural bee house. You will need the following equipment:

saw/power saw/chainsaw;
chisel;
hammer;
drill;
pliers.

Materials you will need:

wooden deck made of soft deciduous trees (aspen, linden, birch) with a diameter of 80-100 cm and a length of 1200-1500 cm;
two round cuts 50-70 cm thick;
rough natural fabric(canvas, sackcloth);
nails;
coarse and medium-grain sandpaper;
loops.

Deck of boards

You can make a log house from boards, but you will need all the same tools. The only difference in the materials used will be that instead of a solid wooden deck, you need to take boards at least 6 cm thick. Also, you will need slats with a triangular cross-section in order to round the inside of the house.

Manufacturing instructions

So, you have decided to make a beekeeping deck according to the drawing with your own hands. The process is so simple that you hardly even need a diagram, let alone a drawing. A deck for bees is made in several stages:

Take a piece of wood; it must be dry. Otherwise, in the future, rot and mold will appear in the deck, which will lead to insect diseases. Mark a circle of the appropriate size to carefully remove the wood. Remember that the bee deck should have a wall thickness no thinner than 6 cm, and an internal free space with a radius of at least 20 cm.
Use a saw to cut the wood to the specified diameter. Some experienced beekeepers say that it is better to work with a regular or electric saw. Otherwise, the smell of gasoline when using a chainsaw will be absorbed into the wood and will further repel bees.
Remove the chopped wood using a chisel and hammer.
We clean the inner walls with sandpaper so that they are smooth and without burrs.
We close the upper part with a cut and nail it.
We attach another cut to the lower part with hinges so that in the future we can get to the honey. We seal it with fabric so that there are no gaps.
Use a drill to drill a tap hole with a diameter of no more than 6-8 cm.
We cover the deck with a roof made of straw or sedge.

There are times when the height of the deck you found is not enough. Then, to achieve the required size of the bee house, 2 or 3 separate tree trunks are made and fastened together.

If you don’t have a hive deck and making such a house is problematic for you, we offer instructions for making a lightweight version of the combi from boards:

The bars are tightly connected, glued or fastened with screws.
They are tied with hoops or belts.
In order for the inner part to be as close in shape as possible to the hollow, sharp corners are rounded with slats.
The top and bottom covers are secured and a taphole is cut.

It’s not enough just to make a bee; a novice beekeeper needs to know a few basic rules:

Before settling a bee colony, it is recommended to rub the inside of the log with propolis; this smell is pleasant for bees - this way they will feel at home more quickly. If you don’t have this substance at your disposal, rub the wood with herbs: mint or lemon balm.
Some beekeepers place the sides directly on the ground, but this is not true. In this case, the wood will absorb moisture and begin to rot. This can cause illness and even death in the swarm, especially in the fall and winter.
It is considered classic to secure the deck suspended on the forks of tree branches. It is advisable to install the bee house low so that it is convenient for you to work with it. In this case, a prerequisite is that the deck is inclined to the ground at approximately 30⁰.
It is recommended to collect honey from the log only after a year has passed, after the bees have settled there. Don't rush, then your efforts will be rewarded. In the upper part of the board there will be honey for the bees, in the lower part - for you.
The entrance should always be oriented to the south.
Do not place the bee house in the sun or deep shade.
Do not place hives near the barn. It is believed that bees smell well and such an unpleasant neighborhood can force them to leave the hives.

As you can see, it’s not at all difficult to make a fence with your own hands and start breeding bees. If you put several of these houses on your plot, your whole family will enjoy tasty and healthy honey.

Video on how to make a deck for bees with your own hands

The house for working women must be reliably protected from adverse weather conditions. It is quite possible to do it yourself, which will be durable, inexpensive and easy to install. A few more indicators that speak in favor of ideal evidence: ease of use and ease of transportation.

As building materials Pine, spruce, willow and linden are suitable for housing bees from a hollow tree trunk. In addition, buzzing insects will be more comfortable in houses made from other soft materials. Practice shows that it is better to give preference to dry wood that does not have cracks. If you pick it up and notice knots on it, then don’t rush to put it off. You can use wood with knots, but those that have grown into it.

Why is it good? In this type of evidence, you can quickly change and expand frames, as well as rearrange cases. All you need to do to properly maintain this type of hive is to remove the honeycombs filled with fresh honey.

This structure does not need to be moved for wintering; it is enough to insulate the deck. The rest of the time, the natural house can only be checked in autumn and spring. In the autumn, this is necessary to distribute the accumulated honey, and in the spring - to inspect the bees.

How to make it yourself?

You can create such a house for working women with your own hands from solid wood or several boards. For the first case, you will need a ready-made deck, which can be made hollow using a saw.

If there is no suitable log, you can use long bars (1.5 m long), cut in the form of a trapezoid (6 by 10). They are fitted tightly, placed on glue or screws and tightened with belts. The diameter of such a structure for bees is up to 47 cm. In such a house for insects, you should make an entrance (it is located in the middle of the structure), and at the bottom there should be a hole for garbage.

Tools and materials

1 ready-made hollow 40 cm by 120 cm with walls 4-8 cm thick;
1 cover board for a 40 cm hollow;
fabric for lining the lid and fastening for it;
glue, bolts, fasteners and other auxiliary materials.

Manufacturing instructions

Close one side of the workpiece tightly (it should be located on top).
Take the future lid and carve it so that it tightly covers the hive. Note the fabric lining on the lid. It will not make it easier to open the deck. The lid can be attached with hinges or a handle can be made on it.
Measure 30 cm from the opening side and make slits (tapholes), the height of which will be no more than 1.5 cm.
Dry the structure thoroughly.
Place the house under a canopy at an angle of 20-30°, opening side down.
Populate the house with bees. The most convenient way to do this is using the swarm method.

A prototype deck, which is a natural beehive, can also be made from 4 (or more) boards. A visual demonstration of such a design can be found in the video online or in the picture below.

From the history of medieval Rus' came the concept of beekeeping - collecting honey from wild forest bees living in tree hollows. This branch of the economy gradually led to beekeeping: making hives from hollowed out logs, installing them on the ground and domesticating honey insects. Since then, the homes for bees have changed, becoming similar to boxes, but the side hives, called logs, have not been forgotten to this day.

Modern decks are more complex than their predecessors, but have retained many of their design features. They are not very common; most farms have only rectangular hives.

A bee deck is very reminiscent of their natural home. The swarm has the opportunity to arrange it at will, with the convenience of itself, and not the beekeeper.

It is unlikely to come across bee blocks in a large apiary where honey is produced in industrial quantities. Beehives of this type are chosen by beekeepers who are taking their first steps in beekeeping and advocate for maximum proximity to natural conditions keeping bees in hives, want to experiment, cannot devote much time to caring for the apiary and collecting honey.

For reference!

Honey prepared by bees in a log is very tasty, aromatic, and seasoned. But during the season the volume of its production is 3-5 times less than from a rectangular hive. Therefore, log beekeeping is more suitable for amateur beekeepers who plan to sell only excess honey.

The sides are placed at the entrance to the south, on stands. They can be placed both on the ground and on trees, roofs of buildings: a small height is more common for insects. The main thing is to choose a place: it should be dry, shaded during the day (from the heat, some of the honeycombs may melt and fall off), without strong wind or foreign odors.

Comparison of decks with modern hives

In addition to the small volume and excellent quality of the honey produced, borti have several other important differences from rectangular bee houses:

Increased structural strength.
The size of the deck is quite large; it is enough for a large bee colony to live and reproduce for a long time.
Comfortable for use by bees. It is quite inconvenient for the beekeeper to remove the honeycombs and ensure cleanliness inside the deck.
Human participation in the life of insects comes down to spring harvesting and removing part of the harvested honey in the fall (some take away its remains in the spring).
When building wax honeycombs, filling up excess holes, and treating diseases, the bees in the deck are given independence. Insects place honeycombs as convenient for them, gradually filling the internal area of the bead.
There is no need for regular monitoring, preventive treatment, or care for the bees’ home.

Log beekeeping and its principles

The use of log hives involves rare human contact with honey insects, and an almost complete absence of interference in the processes occurring inside the bee house. There are positive and negative aspects to this.

On the one hand, decks are easy to care for and inexpensive to maintain. On the other hand, the beekeeper does not have the opportunity to significantly influence the increase in honey production. It can only free part of the internal space of the bead from honeycombs, encouraging the bees to fill it again.

Pros

Log beekeeping has several advantages:

it is more environmentally friendly - no artificial materials are used for the construction of honeycombs, there is no treatment with drugs against diseases and pests;
Bees that are rarely disturbed and fumigated are less likely to attack people. Decks can be installed on a suburban area adjacent to neighboring ones;
insects make the home as suitable as possible for living, create many honeycombs of a convenient size, and fill the extra cracks in the deck body. These factors reduce the number of diseases, prolong the life of bees, increase their resistance to external conditions, and improve the quality of the products they produce;
Maintenance of the deck does not require large expenses: you do not need to constantly monitor the health of the bee swarm, feed it, or make frames. You can save on the purchase of many beekeeper tools;
there is no need to allocate a room for wintering and prepare for it: during the cold season, the beet remains outside. Suitable conditions are formed inside it, without significant temperature changes;
Collecting honey is less traumatic for bees; only part of the honeycomb is taken from them, without touching the nest, leaving a supply of honey for food in the winter.

Cons

Decks create a small amount of honey. They are adapted more for the convenience of bees, so part of the supplies is left to them. In the year when insects have moved in, it is recommended not to open the log - everything prepared is needed for the first wintering.

In the conditions of the deck, there remains a narrow free space for honey collection, in which it is difficult to cut off the honeycombs. The formation and filling of new honeycombs is a slow process, its speed depends only on the insects.

On the walls of the walls, bees create many closely spaced honeycombs, occupying most of the height of each building. The old wax structures are gradually becoming clogged. It is difficult for a beekeeper to remove dark honeycombs that are unusable for use, but without thorough cleaning, insects will leave the clogged home approximately once every 5 years.

Many people are confused by the impossibility of selective breeding of bees in logs. Typically, a collective bee colony lives in such conditions.

The sides cannot be moved; they are bulky and not suitable for this (the honeycomb inside may break).

Structural varieties

Currently, you can find 3 types of decks:

vertical;
reclining lounger;
collapsible multi-storey.

For reference!

The vertical cylindrical structure is most similar to the ancient side. This is a piece of a large log 1.5-2 m high, with a diameter of at least 50 cm, the middle of which has been cleaned out, leaving walls 5 cm thick. Both ends are covered with wooden lids.

Loungers can also be made from a large piece deciduous tree. The thickness of the trunk should be enough to comfortably accommodate insects. If this cannot be found, the hive is put together from thick boards in the shape of a straight parallelepiped. The lounger is placed on the stand at an angle of 20-30°.

Several sections, hollow on the inside, are stacked on top of each other to increase honey production. The upper tiers are removed after filling with honey, replacing them with empty ones, the lower body remains untouched.

Frames in the deck

Initially, the sides did not include the installation of internal waxed frames. Modern beekeepers who want to get more honey can add frames to any hive-deck design. If it is made of a log, opening doors are made on its back wall: for inspecting the nest, collecting honeycombs.

Frames are usually placed on the top tier, under the ceiling (insulated lid), where bees make a nest and prepare honey for the winter.

DIY making

There are several ways to make a deck for bees. First you need to prepare the necessary materials and tools, make drawings with calculations.

For the body, a single piece of trunk or thick boards are selected. The height of the sides should be at least 120 cm, the internal diameter should be over 40 cm (slats are attached to the deck of boards from the inside to make a round cross-section, or the whole thing is made to look like a barrel).

For reference!

Housing for insects can only be made from dried hardwood: birch, oak, linden, ash, poplar, aspen.

To make a simple log for bees with your own hands, first separate 2 circles 5 cm thick from a piece of trunk. Then the remaining part (usually it is sawed in half lengthwise for convenience) is hollowed out and the core is cut out. Inner surface processed. All parts are dried.

Both halves of the empty cylinder are held together. On one side, at the junction, a slot about 1 cm wide is cut out for a tap hole - it starts from the ceiling, occupying 75% of the height of the deck. You can drill several holes with a diameter of 2-3 cm, located one above the other. The remaining external cracks are sealed.

The bottom cover hinges and has hinges and a latch. The top one is nailed down. There are 2 crosspieces installed inside for future honeycombs: in the middle and near the ceiling.

For collecting honey and beeswax, a collapsible design is more convenient than a solid one. It consists of several hollow cylinders 30 cm high, the top one is closed with a lid.

Preparation and settlement of bees

The production of a hive deck is completed by drying it in air for several weeks. Only after this does the colonization of honey insects begin.

If there is an apiary nearby, a free swarm with a queen may fly out of the hive. It is collected in a box-swarmer for transplanting into the side.

For reference!

Bees often settle in a free deck themselves; you just need to create suitable conditions and lure them with the aroma of propolis. If this is not possible, a bee colony is purchased. You need to choose a young queen, ideally no older than 3 years.

A wide board and a sheet of plywood are laid in front of the entrance, into which the contents of the scoop are carefully shaken out. They themselves will gradually crawl into the deck through the entrance hole.

Whether the insects liked the home will become clear within a few days. If the bees began to fly away in search of a good bribe (prey), it means that they are equipping a deck for living. Aimless circling suggests that the swarm may fly away, finding the settlement conditions unfavorable.

Log beekeeping is an interesting area that deserves attention. It is suitable for beginner beekeepers. You can make a bead without any skills, and it will not require labor-intensive care. The resulting honey of excellent quality is enough to treat your family and friends.