April 20th, 2016

I had originally planned to build 2 rabbit hutches over Easter, but then we got a call from someone in Karen who has constructed an artificial lake from a swamp and wanted to attract some bees to the area. After inspecting the site and finding the surrounding underbrush teaming with bees we decided to set up 3 - 5 beehives on the plot. Today I would like to share with you how that can be done quickly and easily and in a way that keeps your hives ant proof.

- This is the site we had identified for setting up the beehives. So we needed to carry all necessary materials down to the lake:
​
​- 4 old buckets filled with 4 volume parts sand and 1 part cement
​- 2 pieces wood planks, 2 inch (5 cm) x 4 inch (10 cm) x 15 feet (4,5 m) long
​- 12 feet (3,80 m) metal water 1/2 inch pipe cut into 4 pieces of 2,5 feet (80 cm) and 2 pieces of 1 foot (30 cm). The long pieces need each a thread on one end and the two short pieces need threads on both ends.
​- 4 x 90* female connectors (1/2 inch)
​- shovel and spade
- spirit level
- 8 x 1 inch (3 cm) wood crews
​- battery powered screwdriver
- 4 pieces empty water bottles
​- 2 small pieces of wood 1 inch (3 cm) x 0,3 inch (1 cm) x 1 foot (30 cm)
​- a saw, a chisel, a tape measure and a pencil

The ground on the site was already cleared. It is important that on the site where you want to set up your bee hives no tall plants (grasses, weeds, etc.). Any part of a plant (even a branch of a shrub or hedge) that touches the hive will build a bridge that ants will use to invade your hive. Therefore keep the ground clear and any taller plants nearby well pruned.

The first step is to dig two holes 3 meters apart. Each hole should be big enough to bury two buckets next to each other in it. These buckets will be filled with concrete and hold the legs of the frame on which the hives will be placed.

​The sand and cement that were in the buckets needs to be mixed thoroughly with a shovel and enough water added to make a workable but not too liquid concrete. Fill the mix back into the buried buckets. Move the concrete a bit with the shovel to ensure it is compacted and well set in the buckets.

​The concrete should not fill the bucket completely. Leave about 3 inches (10 cm) from the rim empty. This space will be filled with water later to form a barrier to keep out ants.

Attach two long and one short metal pipe to each other using two 90* connectors in such a way, that it forms a U-shape as shown in the picture above. These are the legs of the frame. Build two such legs.
​Cut the bottoms off the water bottles and shove one bottle over each long pipe so that the neck of the bottel is nearest the corner (connector).

Push the legs into the concrete inside the buckets so that they form a 90* angle with the directions in which you want the wooden planks to run.

Use a spirit level to ensure the top of the leg U (the short piece of pipe) is straight/level horizontally.
​Fix the second leg in the same way at a distance of 10 feet (3 m) where you buried the second pair of buckets. Place a wooden plank across both legs and ensure they are also level to each other (at the same height).

When both legs are firmly in place and level leave the concrete to set overnight before you continue.

first step accomplished!

The next day it is time to place the wooden planks across the legs. They need to be secured safely to ensure that the hives won't fall off. Start by placing the planks across and marking on the small side of planks the position of the cross bar of the legs with a pencil. The planks will later be standing "upright", meaning the small edges will be facing the pipe and up.

As the pipe is 1/2 inch (1,5 cm) thick and needs to be buried in the plank, you need to mark also 1/2 inch (1,5 cm) up on the side of the plank. This is the mark up to where you have to cut the plank.

Cut along the 2 pencil marks with a saw. Then remove the piece of wood in between using a chisel.

Repeat this for both legs and both planks. Always make sure that the planks are still level lengthwise and to each other. If not make adjustments to the depth of the cuts. In the end both plank should be safely sitting parallel to each other on the leg frames.

Use the screws and the battery screw driver to fix the small pieces of wood underneath the pipes against the planks in such a way that the planks can no longer move. This is easiest done if you half-screw in the screws first before you tighten them underneath. Otherwise you will end up crouching under the frame constantly dropping screws into the dirt :-)

Once you are all set and both planks are safely in place you can place your bee hives on top of them. Mission accomplished! In our case we used Warre hives. You can find more information about Warre hives here: https://thebeespace.net/warre-hive/ and a construction plan to build your own Warre hives (or have them build by a carpenter) here: ​https://thebeespace.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/warre_hive_plans_english.pdf

The base or floor of a Warre hive is loose. It needs to be placed on top of the planks in such a way that the entrance is flush with the plank. The plank in this case forms part of the entrance hole.

The first box is placed exactly on top of the floor board. It is important that all edges match and no crevices or holes remain between walls and base. These holes would allow the wax moth to enter the hive. Wax moth caterpillars are extremely destructive and can kill an entire hive or force bees to leave their hive. Always make sure your hive is closed tightly except for the entrance hole, which will be guarded by the bees.  

The frames are placed on top of the first box. They need to be straight and tight fitting to encourage the bees to build their wax sheets straight. Otherwise you risk that wax sheets are connected to each other and impossible to remove from the box without damage.

The second box is placed on top and also filled with frames. Again ensure that you don't create holes between the two boxes through which pests could enter the hive.

On top of a Warre hive is always a box filled with wood shavings. This helps to keep the temperature in the hive stable and avoid a draught. If the temperature in the hive fluctuates bees get stressed and need to use a lot of their numbers to raise or lower the temperature. By freeing them from these tasks they are able to do other tasks like tending to their young and queen or collecting honey.

This top frame has a cloth attached to its bottom that allows air circulation and it is then filled with wood shavings that serve as an insulation layer.

The hive is finally covered with a roof.

filling the buckets up with water

The last task is to fill the buckets up with water to prevent ants from climbing up the frame. The water forms a good barrier and needs to be refilled if about to dry up. The bottles will deter them further as they find it difficult to move around the shape of the bottle. We usually also place a yellow sticky trap underneath the bottle. The bottle will ensure that no bees get stuck on it accidently, but ants will be stopped by the sticky trap. You should inspect your hives at least weekly to ensure that no fallen branch has breached this barrier. You also need to check that ants have found no other way into the hives. Ants will invade a hive in the thousands and steal honey and larvae. This is a very stressful event for bees and can force them to leave the hive. In any case it will cause huge losses of honey and you will find nothing to harvest. Once a month you should also carefully open the hive (best done in the evening) and check that no moths or other pests have invaded your hive. It will also help you to monitor their development and decide on the right time to harvest honey (when a good number of frames are filled with honey and covered with wax). Never harvest honey from frames, which aren't covered yet. Uncovered honey is immature and will ferment.

water level in the buckets

The finished set up

The frame has space for 3 - 5 hives. You can also buy the normal Langstroth hives from several providers in Kenya. See the following links for sources: http://www.africanbeekeepers.co.ke/index.php/products
http://thehive.co.ke/equipment.php
​or you can call a Fundi in Lenana who builds excellent hives. His number is: +254(0)724-424 400

All done. Going home!

the bee hive at the end of the lake