1/2 Garden Shed, 1/2 Bee House

So I finally got to the point that I could hardly park my truck in our garage….and that breaks one of our prime directives….garages are for vehicles…not stuff. Deep boxes, warre boxes, frames, smokers, bee suits, empty feeding jars, smoker fuel, saved comb, cinnamon, vinegar, sugar, supers, swarm traps, nuc boxes, and a myriad of other bee related items were taking over my garage….add to this all of the garden equipment one collects over the years and it became apparent that I needed more space.

After much research we decided on a Tuff Shed from Home Depot. So we ordered and had built a 10 x 20 shed designated to be 1/2 garden shed and 1/2 bee house. We chose this size because in our area this was the biggest one we could get that did not require a permit. Here is a time lapse video of its construction.

One of the first places I went to for ideas was Pinterest. Here is the pin board I created. Not being a big wood worker I collected ideas that I thought I could accomplish. Here are some of the results, pictures of our new garden shed/bee house.

Tuff Shed 10x20

10 x 20 Tuff Shed

You can see my 4 hives off to the left. It is really great having everything close to where I need it when I’m working in my little apiary. It is also nice to have a place for everything and everything in it’s place.

I added this loft to allow me to store all of my unused boxes.

Loft in garden shed

Shed loft

I used quite a bit of peg board so that every tool would have it’s own spot in the shed.

peg board used in garden shed

peg board helps to organize

peg board on garden shed door

easy access, peg board on door

peg board in garden shed organizes tools

organize all your tools

IMG_0941I found some cool plastic covered wire baskets that fit into the peg board that is great for small items: gloves, hose fittings, bee gadgets etc….

properly spaced shelves in garden shed

Shelves for garden shed

work bench in garden shed

work bench and storage shelves

Building shelves, a work bench and shelves under the work bench was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The shelves are measured to accommodate the rubbermaid containers that are ideal for storing stuff.

I found this LED solar light that is perfect so that I don’t have to run electricity to the shed. Easy to mount solar panel on the outside and then a light on the inside that can be set for 48 lights or 24 lights. I leave it set at 48 LED’s and it lasts a good hour or so. My neighbor gave me a hard time, accusing me of setting up my large screen TV inside my “garden shed” LOL.

LED Solar lighting on garden shed

LED solar cell

24 LED light for garden shed from Amazon.com

24 LED light

Couple of upgrades I’d recommend: 6 window pane man door, windows on each end, double swing door for larger stuff and an upgraded floor. This model, TRS-800 Sundance,  came with a steal beam base which we really liked for durability and getting it up off the ground and provide ventilation under the building.

I still have a ramp to build and will put hardware cloth around the base, to prevent critters from getting under, and will put in some kind of block base to cover the steel frame….should look pretty good when it is done.

All in all I’d highly recommend having a building of some kind near you hives. It makes life a lot easier and more enjoyable.

Spring Bee Packages Arrived, Installation of bees into a new hive


 

FINALLY…..it seemed a long wait for the bees to arrive. I started reading, studying and researching everything about bees since October or so and now I’m finally a “beekeeper”. I can tell you first hand, despite all the research and discussion, nothing prepares you for the first time you unleash 10,000 bees into an open hive. Even with the bee suite on I kept thinking…..what if they turn on me????

Well, of course they didn’t. They are every bit as gentle as you treat them. I did get stung twice but both were my fault. One girl stung me because she got trapped under the wrist band of my watch (lesson..don’t wear that again) and the second bit me because I was not looking at what I was grabbing. I turned to pick up the top of the hive, grabbed it without looking and got stung for my carlessness.

This video is the installation of the first package into a new Warre hive. These are Italians. I also purchased a package of Carniolans which I installed the next day. I’ll post that video in the next week or so.

They have both settled nicely into their new homes and are drinking lots of sugar water as it is still pretty rainy.

Please feel free to comment below and link back if you have a website about bees that you have found interesting.

Video showing break down of the Warre beehives that we are starting out with.

Several people have asked me about the details of the hives that we are using here in Seabeck. Here is a video that Darren from House of Bees put together that shows all of the aspects of this hive.

Darren does an excellent job with the craftsmanship of these hives.

You can also purchase plans from him if you want to do it yourself…click here for that link.