Need some ideas for hive platform(s)

[bosco500]

I currently have two hives on concrete blocks and will be adding 3 or 4 more over the winter for next year. I would like to build some sort of wood platform for them to sit on, where could I go to get some ideas? I suppose some 4x4 posts driven into the ground with 2x8's running length ways would work. Thanks for any ideas

[Maryland Beekeeper]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...-from-Slovenia

[bosco500]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...-from-Slovenia

Wow those are some cool houses

[RAFAEL/PR]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...-from-slovenia

holy cow!! That a bee loft!! Like my pigeon loft ,lol that is so cool never thought of that, that is great for your bees because it will be warmer inside there got the winter in one of those , great idea

[fin]

Recently someone here showed a hive stand made to keep ants out. Search Ant proof stand and you might find it. my description from memory-Metal pipe with one end in the ground and the other with more pipe joined to make a "T". this supports a wood frame.
I am using cinder blocks and wooden single hive stands

[Michael Palmer]

Buy 1- 2x4x10' pt
From that, cut two pieces 4' and two pieces 1'
Nail the 1' pieces between the 4' pieces, 1' from each end.

Holds two hives.

[bosco500]

Buy 1- 2x4x10' pt
From that, cut two pieces 4' and two pieces 1'
Nail the 1' pieces between the 4' pieces, 1' from each end.

Holds two hives.

Thanks for the idea. That sounds similar to this one I just found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLDavYxX6R4

Love the idea, will just make it a bit longer

[giant pumpkin peep]

Ive found using an 8 foot 2by3 can get a little tight if both hives arnt right on the edge. I think for now on I'm going to use 10 foot. micheals sugestion works. I also have some really old planks laying around. I made 2 stacks of 2 cinderblocks and laid one of the planks across. It is holding a few nucs now. Don't know if I want to put full size hives on there.

[Mr.Beeman]

I am all about repurposing things. This spring I'm going to use some old 4 x 4 treated posts and a 4' x 4' heavy duty oak skid. It will be more like a table when finished. I plan on putting 4 hives on it each one 90 degrees from the other. I think it will serve it's intended purpose in a few of my out yards that no one sees.
At the home though, I have a 2x6 frame painted white and treated 4x4 posts buried into the ground.

[RAFAEL/PR]

THE BEST STAND FOR HIVE I SEEN YET AND ARE SIMPLE TO MAKE ARE THE ONES USING concrete blocks WITH REBARS LIKE THIS PHOTO FROM ONE OUR MEMBER TOM IN SOUTH AMERICA TOM PHOTO.jpg
PUT SOME GREASE ON THE BARS AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANT PROBLEM OR SOME INSECT PROBLEM THAT CANNOT FLY

[garusher]

Hi,

Try this one out.Bee_Stand.jpg.
for the 10' platform I used 4 @ 2"x10" and 1 @ 4"x4". I have a sketchup file if you would like to pull dimensions. I would also like to add some type of wrap to the 4x4 that i can fill with grease like other platforms.

Gary

[NW_Mark]

Check out warehouse pallet racking on craigs list. The uprights are around $5 per foot and the stringers are around $3 per foot. So 2 x 6’ uprights ($60) and 4 x 12’ stringers ($142) should put you back about $202. You then can put a tin roof on it if you want to keep the rain off the hives. Hives can be strapped down and the system can be moved anytime you want.

[jrbbees]

i found 8 foot pressure treated lanscaping timbers on sale at lowes for $1.99.
Ste the on cinder blocks and they work well and the price is right.

[mmiller]

i found 8 foot pressure treated lanscaping timbers on sale at lowes for $1.99.
Ste the on cinder blocks and they work well and the price is right.

Exactly what I do. Easy to set up, easy to move and cheap!

[bosco500]

Some great ideas thanks!

[vanderchevy18]

Never used stands. Just built good quality, beefy floors out of redwood from old oil tanks. Never had a problem. Of course we were running 2,500 hives so it wouldn't have been cost effective anyway. Keep the weeds knocked down in front of the hive and make sure its a strong healthy hive. No problems.

[minz]

I am a small hobby guy that had the same question. I did like Mike said but with 2x8. I used a couple of strong ties and concrete blocks because I could not afford to have everything I own go to the ground saving a buck. Yes I did put one hive facing the side of the other, it allows me a place to work, I did not find robbing any issue, it also did not drift to the next hive over. I could have got 5 side by side but I got too close to the house so I didn’t.
http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/...inz/stand2.jpg
http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/...inz/stand1.jpg

[Lauri]

I have a real hate of saggy benches. This spring my husband helped me set some 6x6 pressure treated scrap posts left over from a job into concrete. (I would use full height posts on the next one so I could cover the hives if I wanted to ) But they were free and free is always good.

Here are the posts and the lag screwed 2x8 supporting horizontal boards. No sagging in the middle of the bench is allowed ether.



My framework for the mesh bench top.



Top installed. This is a salvaged product..looks like steel, but in fact it is fiberglass. We cut it on the table saw from a 4x8'sheet. If I did not have this, I would have used welded galvanized 1"x1" cage wire.






Strong and level. Here come 'da bees!



Your bench height is pretty importaint. You can see in the above photo I backfilled with shavings to keep the bench height low enough to be able to work three or four high without too much trouble.

A little later in the summer. This is a south facing bench.



Think it is over built? It holds 20 hives. Now do the math for fall weight for that many double deeps.

Here is a bench I built in 2011 out of steel pipe. The horizontal pipe support was not strong enough to hold the fall weight, however. It sagged and it had to be rebuilt. But you can see the design:
The brackets you see here were salvage from a commercial store we demo'd years ago. I saved them for a long time until I figured out a use for them. Yes, I am a wood and steel pack rat. You'd be amazed at what they throw away on commercial job sites.



I was alone when I made this and had to scratch my head trying to figure out how to put a 'bow' in the cattle panned roof. Rachett straps! Of course! The beekeepers friend. Just use strong zipties to hold the pannel to the pipe.


(The 2x4 gray supports were just to keep the bench from rocking to much.)



Now the concrete cinder blocks were insurance the brackets would hold all that weight


I forgot to tighten all the carrage bolts in one of the brackets..then it slipped during the winter..No harm done, but you can see the roof works pretty good otherwise.


Heres my first bench. I built the framework to hold a steel table top I already had. I built this in the barn, then asked my husbant to help me carry it out to the beeyard. Almost got in trouble for that one. It was quite heavy, even without the table on top.



I really love this bench, I just expanded to much to keep using this design.

Below is a stand I used the rabbit wire on for the top.


My area is very rainy..we need good drainage.

Heres the hive that sits on it. Too fancy for my yard..these I make to sell occasionally.



Hope this gives you some ideas. Better to spend a dollar more and take a little more time making it..or you'll be doing it over again in a few years.

[bosco500]

I have a real hate of a saggy bench. This spring my husband helped me set some 6x6 pressure treated scrap posts left over from a job into concrete. (I would use full height posts on the next one so I could cover the hives if I wanted to )
Here are the posts and the lag screwed 2x8 supporting horizontal boards. No sagging in the middle of the bench is allowed ether.



My framework for the mesh bench top.



Top installed. This is a salvaged product..looks like steel, but in fact it is fiberglass. We cut it on the table saw from a 4x8'sheet. If I did not have this, I would have used welded galvanized 1"x2" rabbit cage wire.



Strong and level. Here come 'da bees!





(That's our 80 yard archery target hanging on the pipe.)



Think it is over built? It holds 20 hives. Now do the math for fall weight for that many double deeps.

Here is a bench I built in 2011 out of steel pipe. The horizontal pipe support was not strong enough to hold the fall weight, however. It sagged and it had to be rebuilt. But you can see the design:



I was alone when I made this and had to scratch my head trying to figure out how to put a 'bow' in the cattle panned roof. Rachett straps! Of course! The beekeepers friend. Just use strong zipties to hold the pannel to the pipe.




Hope this helps.

Wow great job! That looks awesome.

[whiskers]

Well doggone Lauri that's really nice, and here I was going to suggest looking in the culls at Home Depot or Lowes, mine usually has 4 foot pieces of pressure treated 2X4. You could lay a couple of them across a couple of cinder blocks to support 2 hives with some extra space. You could add legs that you bury in the ground and eliminate the blocks. They cost $.57 here so a stand would have less than $3.00 in it allowing something for fasteners.
Bill