Bee House

[Trog]

I'm beginning to get tempted by the bee house concept

[Calum]

Hi here are three more pictures of a fourth house I have bees in on a queen breeding site in the mountains.
It badly needs a rain gutter, apart from that well dimensioned for 10 colonies.
I notice they all have different hights of tressle for the bees. Some too low, some to high, or maybe I am just a bit goldy locks... but you feel it in your back after 8-10 colonies (the largest bee house I work has 24 colonies).

[Bridget]

I am resurrecting this thread as my husband is 3/4 way through building our bee house and I wondered if any more beekeepers have something to add on the subject. Several people sounded interested back in 2011 and I wondered if anyone had built one. Ours will take 5 hives and a nuc though there is space to increase this by two or three hives if it becomes necessary. We can of course have more hives outside, especially in the summer. The area giving a wee bit of trouble at present is getting the hive flush to the front opening so that bees can't crawl up inside the house.
We have top opening perspex windows but I also intend to have one or two very small openings covered with some plastic queen excluder so the bees can get out when its shut up and maybe a small shutter that can go over it externally when the house is not being opened up. We shall get a very simple solar lighting system for possibly a strip light. there will be lots of space for storage - yeh. Interested to see Calums photos. I shall get some up myself when its completed.
Just started to move a couple of my hives, a couple of feet at a time, into a closer position. I see Calums photos don't show any recognisable feature for individual openings. I was thinking of giving each hive a colour splash on the front now with the same colour above their entrance to the house. Any thoughts?

[The Drone Ranger]

there were some articles in the 1940's Scottish beekeeper mags
Converting a small caravan or mounting a small shed on a trailer then towing it to various locations was popular back then

[Blackcavebees]

Regarding the entrances and colours, university of sussex (i think) uses shapes more than colours above the entrances, painted horizontial or vertical or diagonial stripes

[Calum]

for some reason here white yellow and blue are the used colours traditionally.
I have no idea why.

[Bridget]

for some reason here white yellow and blue are the used colours traditionally.
I have no idea why.

I read something similar else where - I will try those colours in various stripes and crosses.

[The Drone Ranger]

for some reason here white yellow and blue are the used colours traditionally.
I have no idea why.

are bees blind to red ?

[fatshark]

Yes ... that's why you can open a mini-nuc under a red light at night and not get a face full of bees ;-) it also means they see all my Kielers and poly hives as big black lumps, without me looking like I'm farming lumps of onyx. Or something.

[The Drone Ranger]

Yes ... that's why you can open a mini-nuc under a red light at night and not get a face full of bees ;-) it also means they see all my Kielers and poly hives as big black lumps, without me looking like I'm farming lumps of onyx. Or something.

I wondered about those red beesuits you see on TV