Who builds their Ohives

[honeyman46408]

This is a pic of one I have built for the Fair



Rules are "one frame of brood and One Honey"

[honeyman46408]

I have one in my shop that is a modafied version of beesouce plans (I can`t follow instructions ) it had 5 deep frames.

[kilocharlie]

With only 2 frames, they may swarm on you pretty early. I have some standard Langstroths with double windows in all 4 sides. They must be lifted carefully, as much of the strength is cut out.

[naturebee]

Nice O hive honeyman.

Heres one I built about 15 years ago,
http://s113.beta.photobucket.com/use..._0206.jpg.html

I affixed it on a bar stool swivel.
I can swivel around when the
queen moves. Also, beer bottle
for syrup is all they need.

Best Wishes
Joe
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/H...eybeeArticles/

[oldiron56]

I built one 8 med high, same Queen for two years,had to take out over twenty frames of brood this year to keep it civil [made nucs] have open brood in it now, move your hand across the plexi and find the warm spot, there is the brood. Gonna replce the plexi with glass this spring, the heat from the bees makes the plexi bow changing the bee space,then they fill it with burr, she even lays in that and you can watch the morph,over winter it gets half inch foam insulatin cut to size of plexi, the best thing a keeper can ever have. Queen is unmarked so it is like Where is Waldo

[RobWok]

I built this one a few years ago. 3 deep 3 medium. Have overwinted successfully a couple times. built in miller feeder up top. Trying to design a supering option as well.

Cherry, with spalted maple doors. http://wokaty.com/CIMG0546.JPG

There are a couple more pics on the site.

No plans yet. Thinking about making them complete in different architectural styles for sale.

[Mr. C]

I was thinking the same thing myself. Now the challenge is convincing my wife it should be in the living room or the school that it could go in my lab, though I'd prefer the living room.

[RobWok]

Ahhh, the wife dilemma. Yes. I was foolish in that when I built mine, I set it up in the bedroom. It has the best location for sun exposure and the right window. Unfortunately, they can buzz loudly from time to time. Also, there is the occasional hive deitrus that falls out the bottom if you have a bottom screen (which you should) Oddly enough, they propolized the top and side screens, but I've never seen a hive propolize a screened bottom board.

[BeeGhost]

I built this one a few years ago. 3 deep 3 medium. Have overwinted successfully a couple times. built in miller feeder up top. Trying to design a supering option as well.

Cherry, with spalted maple doors. http://wokaty.com/CIMG0546.JPG

There are a couple more pics on the site.

No plans yet. Thinking about making them complete in different architectural styles for sale.

Very nice looking ObHive!! I want to have one at my house so bad, but the neighbors would crap a purple twinkie if they knew I brought bees home from the beeyard!! I will have one someday, just need to strategically place it in my garage with a way out into the side yard that no one can see, basically look like a wild swarm moved into the wall!

[kilocharlie]

Honeyman - requesting permission to plagiarize your "Profanity is ignorance made audible" line...Thanks in advance.

BTW, I'm changing over to all medium 10-frames, so I'm building new observer hives, too - all one size frames, so the old ones are bening sold. Another experiment - one will have standard foundation, one small cell, one foundationless. I'll be building an apidictor, too...and I'll be watching and listening.

[kilocharlie]

... the best thing a keeper can ever have. ...

Double down on that sentiment, oldiron! An observation hive probably doubles the learning rate.

[oldiron56]

Double down on that sentiment, oldiron! An observation hive probably doubles the learning rate.

Your right Kilo,this hive is in a shed, stays cold can see the cluster and feel the heat where the brood is. This is her 2nd winter and she is laying right now. I think it is like a barometer as to what is going on in the other hives. The first Queen I put in there was a cell I grafted held in with tooth picks,two frames of brood and the bees, watched her emerge, then was able to see the mateing sign she was parading around with, that Queen went to the city zoo in their ob hive. This Queen in there now was gonna be pinched, never made much honey, she has given alot of entertianment. Watched her cross that forbidding honey band,bees moving stores around,bees holding beetles in a jail,dancing, and I heard that first one pipeing through the glass, every beek should have one. Only thing I would do diff is drill 4 1 inch holes in the bottom, covered with screen, when the feeder jar leaks it runs across the bottom and bees get stuck in it , I`ll do that when I replace the glass.

[kilocharlie]

Syrup spill drains in the bottom...now that is something that comes from an observer hive owner! Like you say, EVERY BEEK SHOULD HAVE ONE! I think I will probably develop the same opinion of the apidictor. Watch and listen.

Mr. C. and Robwok - wives and potential beeyard hosts are best introduced honey first, followed by well-aged mead and your friendliest smile.

[BeeGhost]

This is a pic of one I have built for the Fair

That is cool!! I can see something like that in my retirement log cabin home!!