Do-it-yourself decks for bees. Deck beekeeping is the best option for beginner beekeepers. How to make a deck for bees with your own hands: drawings

The best honey is obtained only when the bees are kept in conditions as close to natural as possible. And what could be more natural than a beehive like a deck?

Many beekeepers are skeptical about the idea of keeping bee colonies in a deck, but in vain. The harvest obtained in such a device is valued much higher, has a pronounced aroma, a complex of useful properties, and much less effort. You can't say the same about the classic hive. Making it with your own hands is very simple.

With the development of beekeeping, the migration of bees from the wild began. natural conditions habitats in the immediate vicinity. For their comfortable living, special dwellings were built - decks. Such a deck was made from a thick stump of a ridge. Its length could reach one and a half meters. All the insides were hollowed out, and a hole was made on the side, which was closed with holes with holes for tapholes. Honey was taken through the hole, through which the bees were examined. Previously, the upper part of the deck bore the proud name "head", and the lower one - "heel".

Crosses were attached to the “head” from the inside, on which the bees placed their honeycombs. The deck was covered with birch bark or a straw roof. A swarm sat down in it, and in the summer honeycombs broke out of the “heel”. In different regions of the country, different decks were made, they differed in their weight and design, horizontal and vertical position.

"Combi"

The combi-type hive deck is a stationary unattended system. It makes beekeeping accessible to people with disabilities, women and beginners, because it is easy to use.

Peculiarities

Such a hive absorbed the most best qualities, which are inherent in deck breeding of bees. Compared to classic hives, working with such a device requires a minimum of effort. The deck does not contain frames, there is no need to rearrange the cases, there is no need to maintain and increase frames. And how much time is spent on the maintenance of the entire hive? All work consists only in the removal of a certain number of combs, so that the bees do not sit idle.

It should be remembered that the resulting honey is not suitable for commercial activities. It is received only for themselves. If you need mass production - then your path lies to the classic evidence.

In the combi hive deck, the bee family is left to itself, it leads a natural and natural way of life for it. It also allows you to install a store building during the main honey collection, which is much closer to a modern beekeeper. Although, such honey will be of a slightly lower quality.

Advantages

The advantages of such a hive is a very successful combination of a natural hollow and modern Dadan evidence. Frames are used in the upper part of the body, which allows the beekeeper to populate the deck not only with a swarm. The frame part of the deck is very useful in early spring when the bee colony builds up its strength. If any difficulties arise, the beekeeper can intervene in the life of the family. In such a hive, bees do not need to be fed for the winter.

The frame compartment of the evidence contains an additional notch on the side. This favors the fact that the uterus begins to lay eggs in early spring, that is, the family in as soon as possible is gaining strength. The frame part of the body is not intended for honey collection, it serves only to ensure that the bees nest there. Honeycombs are stored in the lower third of the hive. It is removed from the back wall. The bottom is equipped with an anti-varroatic mesh.

Hollow

Unlike the option discussed above, a hollow deck hive cannot be combined with a traditional one. This model completely repeats the natural hollow, supplied only with crosses for the convenience of working with honeycomb. Making it with your own hands is as easy as shelling pears, if only the hands grow from where they need to.

How to do it yourself?

First, you need to make a deck. You can take a log with a hollow and hollow out the middle, you can also use hardwood boards. Boards should be no thicker than 6 cm, and the internal volume should not be less than 40x40. The length of the board is 1.20 m. On the inside, slats are attached to the corners, they allow you to round sharp corners. One end side is closed tightly, the other is left open. The board is adjusted so that it is possible to attach it, while sealing it with a cloth or grass. 1.5 cm slots are made along the length of any joint. Such a deck is placed on the site with slots to the south, approximately at a distance of 25 cm from the ground. The roof should be covered from exposure to the sun and rain.

That's all! Ready. Many beekeepers compare keeping their little winged pets in these types of devices and classic evidence. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, it all depends on what goals you are pursuing. If you need high-quality honey, which has a lot of healing properties, a bright aroma and an incredible taste, then the deck is exactly what you need. In cases where quantity is much more important than quality, and you produce honey for sale, stop at the traditional clue, which will allow you to get a lot of tasty and sweet honey.

Video review

In wildlife, the bee lives in the crevices of trees and in hollows. Wood allows you to keep a stable temperature inside, provides access to fresh air, which has a positive effect on the transformation of nectar into honey. For this reason, deck beekeeping has not lost popularity for many hundreds of years.

Decks for bees began to be used in the XIV-XV century. They were mounted on a platform between two trees in the forest. They were solid logs two meters long. Over the years, this design began to be installed closer to housing on the ground. The apiary was lined with trees.

Wood was used from century-old blind pines, always with voids inside. To XVII century, due to the rapid development of industry, shipping, urban development and lack of wood, deck beekeeping is in decline. Modern decks are prefabricated with a stand, only conservative beekeepers use solid logs.

Features of keeping bees in decks

Breeding insects in decks requires minimal intervention in their lives, so the method of keeping is ideal for. close to each other, leaving a little space for a flight - 1-2 centimeters, the notch is covered with propolis.

Work with bees is carried out twice a year:

At the end of winter, in spring. The nest is removed from debris, the family is checked. Black (differ in small size) honeycombs are removed.
In autumn - to collect honey. The frequency of insects swarming in decks is low, because they have 3 times more housing in terms of volume from the hive.

Therefore, the bees practically do not get sick, and the honey is curative.

Types of modern decks for bees

Today there are three types:

Vertical(similar to board). Such a log should have a large diameter and an empty core.

It is made with the help of round timber or from boards, according to the type of board.

Framework. A design that combines the previous two types.

The last option makes it possible to get the maximum amount of honey.

Preparing a hive deck and settling bees

As soon as the heat is established (in late May - early June), preparatory work begins. The board is cleaned, there should be no dirt and debris inside.

The barrel should dry well. Inside they are scraped and rubbed with mint or lemon balm. When using fresh wood raw materials, you will have to dry it for a whole year. If during this time hornets or wasps have settled inside, then their nests are crushed.

The future dwelling is laid out with crushed particles of nests. The deck is equipped with honeycombs, they should have a dark brown color. White ones (they are too fragile), with bee bread, low-copper and black will not work.

The honeycomb frame is divided by wire into three parts along the length. The strips are divided into several more parts across the size of 3x10. Honeycombs are fixed with wedges made of dried viburnum wood or plastic. The driving of honeycombs starts from the back row, the latter can be placed perpendicular to the rest. It will take about 6-8 pieces. Do not be surprised that the bees will rebuild the dry land - this is normal.

Crosses are installed along the entire length of the hollow. Top and bottom are covered with lids. If they fit perfectly, then nails will not be needed.

From above, the nest is covered with a broom made of birch and / or linden branches; ferns can be added. The shelter will protect the house from the cold, direct sunlight and retain heat.

Before settling the bees, work begins with a thorough cleaning of debris near the future hollow, insects are very sensitive to unpleasant odors and dirt. The beekeeper should not approach the decks at 10-15 meters until full settlement occurs. After the insects are not disturbed for another 3 days.

Artificial settlement of the family is carried out by a swarm weighing 3 kg with a fruit queen. Insects must first sit in the swarm for 3-4 days, so that there is little food left in the stomachs and they agree to the proposed housing. Insects populate before sunset. If a swarm of bees flies out of the notch quickly and confidently, tends to work, then they like the new house.

Preparation for arrangement begins a year before the insects settle. First you need to decide on the type of decks and prepare carpentry tool. Prepare boards or round timber. If you find a log whose thickness is not suitable for arranging a hive, you will have to make a square plank bed.

Tools and materials

To make an inclined sunbed you will need:

pine crate or frame with slats 20x40 cm;
sheathing inside and outside - lining, pine;
pine timber for a stand measuring 40x50 cm;
insulation for thermal insulation;
for finishing the outside - rolled waterproofing;
ondulin, roofing felt or profile is suitable for the roof;
wood fixture.

For a vertical board, a ridge of wood is required. The height should not be less than 60 cm. It is not recommended to use pine trees, birch, willow or maple are best suited.

Bort should be dried, but not rotten. You will need two more boards, 200x40 cm in size, for a removable board panel.

The manufacture of an inclined lounger begins with the fastening of the frame rails - the arrangement of notches. Inside, the entire surface is sewn up with clapboard, fixed with a plinth. Sheathing is made from the outside of the insulation, on top of which waterproofing is placed. The ends and roof remain free.

The door is installed on the lower end, with insulation, preferably removable. Inside, the deck should turn out like a tire in diameter, but not square. The crate with cells 100-150 mm is mounted on top and covered with roofing material.

The vertical board is made by joiner's way. For this you need to have practical experience work with a chainsaw or ax, adze. Initially, markings are made for the debt and the core is sampled with a chainsaw. Wood residues are removed, and the surface is trimmed with a chisel.

A lid is made for the debt. It is best to make it from two sanded parts (for a snug fit), which will be removed separately from each other. A hole is cut - notch and the roof is laid on top.

Assembly and installation process

The tilt lounger is installed on the stand and fixed. The body of the vertical side is installed so that the notch is located at an angle of 90 degrees. Settlement can be carried out only the next year, but at a permanent place the house should stand for a whole year.

Advantages and disadvantages of beekeeping in decks

Main advantage - living conditions of bees as close to natural as possible. There is no need for a person to interfere in the process of making honey. Minimum costs and improved aroma of the finished product.

Among the shortcomings can be identified:

inability to control the process;
risk of family death in winter;
if the swarming process begins, you will have to populate a new family;
when collecting honey, part of the family dies.

The attractiveness of deck breeding is in the environmental friendliness of the process and, as a result, in improving the beneficial properties of honey. And the ease of use of the decks allows anyone to do beekeeping, even without experience in this matter.

1. Comparison of decks with modern hives
2. DIY
3. Features of deck beekeeping

During the time of Peter I, Russia developed vigorously, which is why beekeeping felt significant difficulties. Forests were actively harassed for the construction of ships, wood was burned for coal for a rapidly developing industry, soil was required for arable land. The beekeepers began to save the boards: cut a piece of wood with a bee colony, and drag it into a pile at the felling site. So after cutting down, "apiaries" appeared.

Over time, deck beekeeping developed: hollowed-out pieces of wood were covered with a thatched roof, placed in a group near the house, populated by swarms. It became easier to work, no need to walk all over the forest, climb trees.

The deck for bees was made by burning or gouging. The device of the bee house is simple: a hollow cylinder of a meter and a half high with an internal diameter of 30–40 cm. A wooden cross is strengthened at the top, insects will build honeycombs on it, the structure was covered with a thatched roof, a vertical notch was made a little higher than the middle.

Comparison of decks with modern hives

Of course, field beekeeping is less convenient than stock beekeeping: the apiary is not scattered over the area, there is no need to drag around the forest and climb trees. But after all, almost no one does it anymore. So let's compare the benefits of keeping families in a deck and frame hives. Benefits of deck beekeeping:

hives are stronger than composite ones;
the deck is made with a minimum of the simplest tools. With his own hands, a novice carpenter easily makes;
The area/perimeter length ratio is ideal for a circle. Therefore, the hive deck wins against square or rectangular ones, the volume is maximum with a minimum of surface area. In winter, heat is saved;
it is easy to clean it from deadness in the spring: moved it, removed it, put it back;
the presence of space under the comb helps the family to self-cleanse a little from varroatosis. A tick that has fallen from a bee cannot reattach itself to a passing bee - they do not walk along the bottom;
decks look solid, solid, reliable. A find for summer residents who love the old Russian style;
a minimum of knowledge is enough for housekeeping, all the same, a beekeeper can change little in the development of families.

Deck beekeeping also has disadvantages:

decks are non-transportable. Nomadic beekeeping, even a one-time transportation of families, is very difficult;
the beekeeper is very limited in the impact on the bees. It is difficult or impossible to carry out well-established techniques that are easily used when kept in collapsible frame hives. Everything is difficult: the selection / giving of food, the strengthening / separation of families, the removal of queens, breeding work, any control over the activities of the swarm.

DIY manufacturing

Making a hive deck is not at all difficult, the main thing is to have the right tool. We have selected a video for you, where it is more than clear how to build such a house for bees with your own hands.

Features of deck beekeeping

The owner is only able to slightly influence the development of families. If necessary, add volume, it is easy to dig a little under the deck. Beekeepers are also trying to make multi-tiered decks with separate sections. Such a cylinder with a cross is placed shortly before the main bribe. The bees prefer to fill the top of the nest with honey, the selection of the extension will be the beekeeper's reward for his work.

It is difficult to take part of the food from the deck, especially since it is the top of the combs that is filled with honey. After all, it is impossible to cut off the top, leaving the bottom. Usually, during selection, the family lights up (destroys). Moreover, negative breeding work is underway: the most productive swarms are eliminated first ...

Wasted in vain the work of the bees on the construction of honeycombs. When selecting honey, wax buildings are cut out; there is no way to substitute them for other families, only remelting.

The amount of honey in the deck (approximately) is estimated by the following trick. The deck must be placed on a knee or support, finding the center of balance. It is imperative that the honeycombs lie edge to the ground, otherwise they can be broken, they are long! Honey is heavier than empty cells or cells filled with brood, and it is folded mainly from above. According to the deviation of the center of balance from the middle of the deck, they estimate the amount of collected food.

Deck beekeeping makes it difficult breeding work. To increase the apiary, natural reproduction is used, the caught swarm simply spills out into an uninhabited dwelling. And with a high probability, the new family was going there on its own. Empty decks standing in the apiary are the best option for a new apartment, according to scout bees.

If some of the bees are kept in frame hives, it is possible to set up a store before the bribe. True, only with a relative coincidence of sizes, when there are no gaps left. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to combine a rectangular magazine with a deck that is round in section without gaps.

Onboard beekeeping is backward compared to deck beekeeping, but that's all history. Who is doing it now? Kolodnoe beekeeping loses to the content in modern frame hives in terms of commodity output - it is difficult to conduct it intensively, directing the development of families in the desired direction. The bees flying out of the logs pollinate the garden no worse and no better than those starting from the frame hive.

Of course, there are fans of "close to natural" beekeeping, the old Russian style of the estate. Also, they tend to work less with bees, albeit due to a shortage of honey. Here a well apiary suits them, not for getting high honey yields, but for the soul.…

Breeding bees in traditional hives requires a lot of labor and material investments. For those who are just planning to join beekeeping, experienced beekeepers recommend starting with the establishment of a hive-deck. For beginners, deck beekeeping is a more affordable form of keeping bee colonies and a great start to start beekeeping.

The first form of this branch of the economy in our country was beekeeping, the essence of which was that a hollow (bort) was hollowed out in tree trunks to populate a swarm. Thus, conditions were created that were as close as possible to the habitat of wild bees.

To do this, tall trees with a mighty trunk were chosen to make a board over 4 meters from the ground, since the bees do not like to settle low. Only after 2 years the board was ready for colonization by bees.

To increase the collection of honey, beekeepers made additional boards from hollow trees. The trunk of the tree was allowed to dry to protect it from both rotting and cracking. Then sawed into two parts and hollowed out the middle. From here came two more names for the board - a dugout and a deck. The blanks were made 1–2 meters high, choosing for this a trunk with a diameter of more than 80 cm. The upper and lower holes were sealed with wooden circles. Holes for bees were made at the top and bottom of the deck.

The decks sought to be placed high in the trees in order to create natural conditions for the bees. They were attached to the tree with ropes.

Kolodnoe beekeeping, characterized by high labor intensity, gradually transformed into apiary form. Decks made from cut trees were placed on the ground, hence the word apiary came from. This approach was a definite impetus in the development of the industry, as work began on the selection of bees, strengthening weak colonies, the collection of honey became more gentle for the bees, as part of it began to be left to them for wintering. Artificial boards turned out to be more mobile, beekeepers had the opportunity to put them in places with a large amount of melliferous vegetation.

You can grow a family for breeding in a deck on your own or, which is easier, purchase a bee package.

Bees in such a dwelling are completely independent. The beekeeper disturbs their peace only twice a year: in the fall, when he collects honey and in the spring for cleaning in the bee house, and in order to determine whether the family needs honey to maintain it after wintering.

Bees, settling in a new home, equip it based on their needs. They begin to cover the notch with propolis, while leaving holes for the passage. In traditional hives, the bees do the same job, but the beekeeper often intervenes in it, trying to control the opening of the entrance.

They build honeycombs very close to each other, sometimes leaving a space of no more than 1.2 cm between them.

Over time, black honeycombs are formed, the size of which is smaller than the rest. This is a natural process, as the queen reuses the same combs to lay larvae. They gradually accumulate the remains of cocoons, excrement from a growing insect. The bees fill black honeycombs only with honey, ceasing to lay larvae in them, since the young individual cannot develop properly and fully in them. Bees leave such combs because they know that they cannot continue their kind in them. Therefore, in order not to lose the bee family, which can simply fly away from the deck, such honeycombs must be broken off. The bees will make an extension with new combs.
Advantages and disadvantages
Airborne beekeeping has both its adherents and opponents. On the side of the first a number of indisputable facts.

pros

The family is healthier. Honey is taken from the hives several times a year, and sugar syrup is left for wintering. It weakens the immunity of bees and, as a result, diseases appear, deadness increases. In the side, a part of the honey located in the upper tier is left inviolable.
Unlike hives, where artificial foundation is used, in decks, the bees themselves determine the size of the cells of the honeycombs, which are larger than artificial ones. Therefore, individuals grow larger, and therefore stronger than their relatives in the hive.
Due to the size of the board (200 l.), the bee colony is larger in number than in the hive. According to average indicators, the hive is three times smaller than the deck in volume, respectively, and there are fewer bees. Therefore, a family living in a borti produces more honey and swarms less often.
Airborne beekeeping requires less material costs to purchase inventory.
Waste of time for care is minimized, since there is no need to carry out regular maintenance, as is the case with the hive.
Breeding bees in a board is within the power of every person, since it does not require great physical exertion.
This type of beekeeping is suitable for beginners because it is safe. You do not need to visit the bees often to build up the frames, check the level of the Pomor, rearrange the hulls.

Minuses

Bees may not like the new home, and they will not want to settle in it. There is an opinion among beekeepers that bees distinguish the smells emanating from the tree. Therefore, it is difficult to know in advance whether they will like the deck or not.
Breaking out, cutting out honeycombs when taking honey can lead to the death of some bees.
Kolodnoe beekeeping is almost complete independence of the family, the beekeeper has no control over the processes taking place in it.

Making a beehive deck

For the manufacture of the deck, trunks of deciduous trees are used. Oak, birch, linden are best suited. Pine material is not used, as even after drying it releases resin. Honey in such a hive will be saturated with its smell.

To make a deck from solid wood, you will need a 120 cm long trunk and two circular saw cuts 6-7 cm thick to close up the bottom and top. The trunk is selected with a diameter of more than 80 cm, so that after removing the core, the inner diameter is at least 40 cm.

The workpiece is cut lengthwise into equal halves. Connoisseurs do not advise sawing with a chainsaw, as the tree will retain the smell of gasoline, which insects do not like. Further, they hollow out, cut off the core. The resulting halves are left to dry and then fastened. For convenience, at the place of their connection, a notch is arranged along the seam. Its length should be ¾ of the length of the ridge. The ideal width of the notch is considered to be an opening of 0.8 cm. Since the top of the dwelling is deaf, all ventilation is carried out through the notch.

Important! The tree must be well dried. Otherwise, the deck will become damp inside and a fungus may develop.

Covers are made from circular cuts. The upper one is hammered tightly into the hole, the lower one is put on loops. The bottom cover should fit snugly against the deck - this will protect you from the cold in the future. It should also be noted that bees can begin to build honeycombs on the lid, so it is better to sheathe it with cloth.

A modern version of the hive deck

The peculiarity of the deck is the location of the honeycombs. If in the hives they are located in the end of the notch, then in the side they are located along. During manufacture, wooden crosses are attached inside, to which the residents will attach honeycombs.

Organizing a well apiary and collecting honey

The deck is placed on the stand at an angle, but not more than 30º. This arrangement promotes good ventilation and excludes the intake of honey from the upper part. A higher angle of inclination will make the approach more difficult. There are certain requirements for the height at which the deck is located - not lower than 70 cm from the ground. This will provide a convenient approach and protect in winter from snow.

It is important that the deck does not stand at noon under the scorching sun, but at the same time be on the sunny side, with an entrance to the south. Bortniki advise, if possible, to put a bee house on the second floor or attic. This is a more natural height level for bee breeding.

The deck hive is not installed in a damp place, in a draft. Insects don't like it. It is advisable to consider shelter from the rain.

The deck cannot be moved from place to place, there is a possibility of breaking honeycombs.

Ready honey can be collected only in the second year after the family has settled.

Special suit, smoker required attributes to collect honey. Since the bees living in the board, more aggressively protect their home. It is better to collect honey at a time when most of the family is on the flight.

It will be difficult to get honey for the first time due to the very close location of the honeycombs to each other. Therefore, for cutting honey, beekeepers adapted a metal rod, one end of which is bent and flattened.

The main task of a beginner to engage in deck beekeeping is to ensure that his interests do not go to the detriment of the health of the wards.

Kolodnoe beekeeping is one of the ways of keeping bees. It arose during the transition from beekeeping to apiaries of private estates.

Deck content principles

Modern deck beekeeping dates back to the time of replacing the board with decks, when bees were not yet bred in apiaries in hives. A bee hive is a house for bees as close as possible to a natural one, where insects build nests as they see fit, without human intervention, building honeycombs without artificial foundation.

In deck beekeeping, human intervention in the life of bees is minimal and is limited to the construction of a deck dwelling and the settlement of a bee swarm in it.

The honey produced by the bees when kept in stock is considered to be more fragrant and saturated.

In a stock settlement, insects build combs in the order and quantity they need for brood, not populating the old ones, thereby ensuring the health of the future generation.

when settling a bee swarm in a new log hive in the first year, it is not recommended to collect honey, because honey left for the winter, and not top dressing on sugar syrup, provides insects with high immunity, if desired, it is possible to pick up the part that remains in the hive after wintering,
the size of the internal deck space should be at least 200 liters, allowing you to accommodate a larger colony in terms of the number of individuals than in a simple hive, because such a bee colony is considered stronger and its productivity is higher,
bees independently regulate the ventilation process by clogging the cracks with propolis, similarly, the diameter of the notch is reduced by them just enough so that wasps and hornets do not get there,
the interior space rationally built by insects allows bees to swarm less,
in a stock hive, it is recommended to maintain a sparing selection of honey through the lower honeycomb, which makes it possible to break out the combs without injuring the nest with brood and smoking insects.

The benefit of deck beekeeping in apiaries is in the absence of large labor costs and material investments, which are associated with the need to purchase chemicals, equipment and tools for artificial maintenance of the life of bees.

In family estates, deck beekeeping is actively reviving. The reason for this is the environmental friendliness of the products obtained with such a content of bees.

Among the disadvantages of deck beekeeping note:

the inability to influence and control the life processes of the bee colony,
inability to conduct breeding work,
the risk of unauthorized irretrievable abandonment of the bee hive.

Building a deck from a trunk

An easy way to make a deck house is to hollow out the core in the sawn off part of the tree trunk and equip it with bee housing, while:

the diameter of the trunk must be such that the finished interior space is at least 40 cm in diameter with a wall thickness of 6 cm or more,
a deciduous tree is suitable for deck beekeeping: poplar, aspen, birch, alder, linden, oak,
the sawn-off part must be well dried to avoid the subsequent appearance of mold and fungi, its height must be at least 1.2 m.

To craft a log hive from a suitable tree trunk:

cut the log into 2 parts,
hollow out the core in one of them,
leave the parts to dry completely,
make 2 cuts that will serve as the top and bottom covers - should,
connect the dried parts so that one seam leaves a notch at a height of 30 cm from the bottom and occupies ¾ of the entire length of the deck, while the width of the gap was 8 mm,
seal the gaps on the outside with clay,
fasten the top roof with nails,
fasten the bottom to the loops so that it can open freely to remove honey,
inside the deck, equip 2 crosses, one of which is placed on top, and the second - closer to the middle: there the honeycombs will be pulled away, and the more often the lattice is made at the crosses, the stronger the honeycombs are secured.

Building a deck from planks

In the absence of suitable trees, beekeepers have adapted to assemble modern decks from dried boards and beams, upholstering the deck with triangular slats inside the hives, giving it a rounded shape.

Modern deck beekeeping, unlike the old one, involves the creation of houses for bees in several tiers.

To make a deck hive from bars:

take a bottomless box with internal dimensions of 3.5 * 31.5 * 22 cm and a wall thickness of 3.5 cm, or chop it together from boards: it will serve as a body,
sheathe the body inside with a plywood sheet, outside with plastic, put insulation between the inner and outer layers: cardboard or foam,
to extend the service life, impregnate the plywood with propolis wax,
make a roof from boards 1 cm thick, cover it from the outside with roofing iron or roofing material.

Under the roof, planks or rulers are made with grooves filled with wax. On the slats, insects make honeycombs, and on the rulers they line up in a strictly established order.

The number of such buildings-tiers depends on the required volume of honey collection. On 3 tiers, 2 kg of a swarm of bees are populated.

Honey is taken by cutting off the combs, for which a thin wire is pulled into the body through a specially equipped slot. Cases are also removed and swapped, new ones are added to the deck.

Deck placement

A suitable place to install the deck is one that is lit by the sun and protected from the wind, while at noon the bee house should remain in the shade. It is unacceptable to place a deck near the place of residence of livestock, the smell of which repels insects.

The installation height of the deck hive from the ground is not less than 0.7 m, the angle of inclination is 30 °, the direction of the notch is south.

Settlement of the bee colony

In a deck made from a tree trunk, a bee colony is populated not earlier than next year, ensuring complete drying and after cleaning the core of rot and debris, rubbing the walls with mint to eliminate extraneous odors.

The chaotic departure of bees from a deck hive often means the intention of insects to leave it.

When a bee swarm settles in a log hive on its own for bait, it is not touched for 7 days so as not to frighten it away. If the settlement occurs by pouring from a swarm, this is done in the evening and they use a wooden ladle, trying to resort to a smoker to a minimum. Initially, the uterus is populated in the cage, and only then the whole swarm.

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