Just for a laugh i made something a little different, The Outhouse – Dunny Box!
This box should provide quite a sturdy and solid home for native bees, something you could use as a feature in the garden and doesn’t need any extra protection from the weather.
Using 40mm rough cypress…
Below – the inner frames are 25mm thick, the outside box is 15mm so that’s a wall thickness of 40mm.
Approximate volume for each frame is 2 litres
Tip – Always use a square and a flat surface when making frames. Repeat in your head – FLAT – SQUARE – STRAIGHT / FLAT – SQUARE – STRAIGHT 🙂
The entrance is between the boots. The space between the frames and door is sealed when the door is closed, the bees can’t access that area. I didn’t think about this before but over time the bees may leave a sticky brown area around the entrance.. ohwell …
Outside wood is oiled and boots have been stained, it will all lighten up when out in the weather…
Update photo below: 24/12/2021
The Outhouse Hive has aged nicely I think. This has a very a strong colony of bees in it, since 2017.
