Warré beehives and accessories

Abbé Émile Warré tried out a whole bunch of beehive designs. he decided the best was what he called "The People's Hive." beekeeping using Warré hives is really easy. so very easy. you can do it, honest. even you. have a look at David Heaf's Warré website if'n you want to learn a little bit more. but seriously, you can keep some bees. easy.

I'm sort of allergic to debt, so I don't buy material and build a hive until I've got an order. if you know exactly what you want, I'll do my best to accomodate you. if you're not exactly sure what you want, maybe because you're just getting started, I'll talk you through some of the possibilities and we'll try to work out the best hive for your situation.

available options include:

pine or cedar, other wood if I can find it
brads or screws
butt, rabbet, or box joints
observation windows
bottomless, standard bottom board, screened bottom board
top bars fixed with brads, or integral bar guides
other possibilities I haven't thought of, but you have

accessories available: top and bottom feeders. escape boards. hive stands. what else?

prices vary according to material cost, so contact tel for details and current prices. a four-box hive made of 3/4" thick pine using butt joints and brads ought to be around $120. a hive built with full dimension 1" cedar, box joints, screws, observation windows, and a screened bottom board will be in the vicinity of $400. if forest stewardship council lumber is preferred, the price will increase accordingly. hives aren't made until they're ordered, so whatever combination you want is just fine.

I occasionally find a real good deal on lumber and build a hive or two real cheap for myself. the catch is that there's generally something up with the wood. like some splitting, for instance, or it's in foot-long pieces. if you don't mind a hive that's maybe, um, cosmetically unusual, this might be the way to go. functionality won't suffer, only appearance. options will be more limited, but e-mail if you're interested and I might be able to make you a real deal.

I can also help you find the bees. if it's swarm season (late spring to early summer), there's a good chance I can supply bees with your hive. I also sometimes cut feral hives out of folks' walls. if you want to get a swarm yourself, I recommend it. if you're nervous about that, Jacqueline gives classes periodically near Battle Ground, Washington, and she'll put you on her swarm list.

I don't like to ship hives and I'm not trying to horn in on anybody's business, so if you're not close by, check this page to see if there's somebody near you selling hives. if there's nobody closer, or you really want to buy from me, we can probably work something out.