Yep, you read that correctly, we made this complete beehive out of pallets. We picked them up for free from our local hardware store, and with a little time and patience made something we are really proud of. We used material that would normally end up in the landfill and turned them into a beautiful, sturdy, high quality home for our bees. These bees are not only essential for our ecosystem but will also produce a significant income for our homestead from the sell of the excess honey, all for free (minus the cost of some wood glue). Our mission is to share all we have learned here on steemit in hopes of encouraging others to make things themselves instead of buying them. This post will guide you through the process of making the complete beehive yourself!

We actually made (5) complete hives and added some specific details to make sure these hives are the best they can be, including;

Higher R- Value than your typical hive - Keeping the bees warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Insulated Warre Top - Helping with insulation and removing any moisture from the hive.
Sturdy Construction - This hive will last for years to come.
Custom entrance reducer - To allow us to better control the ventilation depending on weather.

as well as a list of other things you will see as we go along

Curious if building with pallets is safe? Check out this article for more information.

Price Comparison

We wanted to make sure we had a high quality hive, and not one we would have to replace broken parts each year... so when comparing, we looked at the hives you can purchase with the highest scored reviews and this is what we found;

Their Cost

Warre Hive Body w/8 frames x 2 - $178.00
Hivetop Feeder - $69.00
Warre Bottom Board - $54.00
Warre Hive Top - $109.00

Total = $410.00

Our Cost

Includes the following pieces;

Warre Style Hive Top
Hive Box Body w/10 frames
Hivetop Feeder
Warre Style Bottom Board
Set of 20 Frames

Total = $15.00 per hive

That is a savings of $395.00 per hive (so $1,975 for our five hives) and we are left with an even higher quality then we could have purchased, saving us time and money over the years.

The goal was not only to save money, but to produce a higher quality product than what is available on the market...and I think we did just that. Let us show you how!

The Process

When making your own beehive out of pallet wood here are a few things to consider:

You will need access to a table saw, 12" jointer or planer and several clamps to complete this project.

Avoid hardwood for this project due to its low R value and for the additional weight that it adds.

This hive will fit standard langstroth frames, but the exterior dimensions will be larger due to increased wall thickness for insulation purposes.

Langstroth hives are typically made with finger joints but because of the added thickness rabbet joints work perfectly for this project and make it a bit easier.

We are choosing to make our hives out of pallets for many reasons. If you don't want to use pallets, you can simply skip to Step Four and use 2"x 12" material instead to build this hive.

Typical beehives are made of 3/4" softwood which has an R value of roughly 1 (1.4 R value per inch), this hive measures out to be 1 1/2" thick giving you an R value of 2.1

First Things First | Processing The Pallet Wood

The first thing we need to do is remove the long boards from the pallet itself. We did so my using a reciprocating saw and cutting through the nails, allowing each board to be removed with out breaking.
Once we have our boards removed, we run those through the planer and table saw until we have smooth surfaces.
Then we take our now smooth boards and glue and clamp them together.

After a few hours we can remove clamps, but make sure to let them dry overnight before working with them.

Run through the planer again to smooth everything out and cut ends to make a straight edge; We now have lumber to start our process.

For some of the pieces we want to have a thicker width to help with insulation. To achieve that, we simply take the lumber we just made and glue/clamp it together like so...

Leaving us with...

Now that we know how to make our lumber from pallets, lets move on to the hive itself;

The Beehive Top

Beehive Top Full Tutorial

This is a custom design (with free plans included) pulling ideas from different styles of tops we have seen in other hives, which we combined to make something unique. This top is insulated with pine shaving to wick out moisture as well as helping to keep the bees warm in our harsh winters, as well as cool in the summer months.

We first cut down on one layered lumber from above to the following dimensions.
(2) - 19 5/8” x 2 ¾” x 1 ½”
(2) - 24” x 12” x ½”
(2) - 16 7/8” x 6 ½” x 1 ½”

Then we make a few simple cuts (found in the full tutorial) and glue the pieces together.

We also drilled holes along the edge to allow optimal ventilation.

And finished the eaves with a router...

The Hive Box

Full Hive Box Tutorial

For the hive boxes we used the 3 layer lumber we made and cut it to the following dimensions;

(2) - 9 9/16" x 1 1/2" x 15 3/8"

(2) - 9 9/16" x 1 1/2" x 21 1/8

Then we use a dado blade to make our joints and glue/clamp the pieces together to make our hive box. We then finish off using a brad gun along the joints to help strengthen it overall. We made two of these for each hive, adding the second to the hive later in the season.

The Frames

Full Frame Tutorial

These are the standard frame (brood frame) size of the Langstroth Hive. So if you order a Bee Nuc the frames will be identical to what we are creating here, therefore fitting perfectly. In reality, when making the frames you will want to do an assembly line style, doing all of one size before moving on to another...making your work quick and easy.

We will start by cutting our single layer lumber that we made into the following dimensions;
(1) 19" x 1" x 1/2"

(1) 17 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2"
(2) 9 1/8" x 1 3/8" x 1/2"

We then simply join the pieces together using glue and clamps to secure until dry.

The Bottom Board

Full Bottom Board Tutorial

This is the base of your hive or the hive bottom board. It might seem like a pretty easy concept, but there are some important details to consider; stability of the hive, ventilation, easy accessibility for bees etc. This is a design that my husband came up with is for a 10 frame style hive.

We start with the 3 layer lumber we made for the base and and cut the lumber to the following dimensions;

Base x 2 (24” x 8 7/16” x 1 ½”)

Spline x 1 (24” x 1 ½” x 1/2”)

Perimeter Side x 2 (19 ¾” x 1 ½” x ¾”)

Perimeter Back x 1 (16 7/8” x 1 ½” x ¾”)

Entrance Reducer x 1 (13 7/8” X ¾” x ¾”)

Then we simply glue and clamp the perimeter pieces to the base and its ready for the hive box.

The Hivetop Feeder

Fulll Hivetop Feeder Tutorial

Sometimes Bees just need a little help getting through the winter until they have access to nectar and pollen. To help them, we add this hivetop feeder or in hive feeder until all the vegetation around the homestead is in bloom. We designed this one to be used with sugar or sugar water, depending on the climate.

We start with single layer lumber cut into the following dimensions;

19 5/8" x 2

16 7/8" x 2

15" x 2 1/4" x 1/2" x 2

We then secure the pieces using wood glue and a brad nailer, then add in some recycled screen material to allow the bees to access the food without getting trapped in the liquid. Allowing you to give your bees access to the necessary food and water without them having to leave the hive.

The Complete Hive

We couldn't be more satisfied with the end result and are so glad we took on the challenge of making a complete hive from scrap pallet wood. We hope that we have encouraged you to Make it, don't buy it, as well.

Thank you so much for reading,

Happy Homesteading!

All photos and content are our own. Please do not use any part of this post without our expressed permission. Thank you.

Complete Beehive Made From Scrap Pallet Wood | Full Picture Tutorial