To install a Warre hive, find a good flat area on your property. It should be somewhat shaded, but not so shaded as to be completely blocked from the sun’s warmth. The area that you select should have good soil drainage, and preferably be out of the path of strong prevailing winds. The area in the photo below satisfies all of the above criteria.

Place your Warre hive floor on a level space of ground in the area you have selected. Use a carpenter’s level to make sure the floor is level. You can lay the floor right on the ground, or you can put the feet on bricks or cement blocks. Alternately, you can build the floor without feet and just use a stand of your own construction to support your Warre hive.

Next, place your Warre hive box onto the floor. Situate the hive box so that there is an even overlap on all sides of the box. The box is designed to be slightly larger than the floor. This prevents water from running down the sides of the box and into the hive via the floor.

Go on to the next page where we will finish installing the Warre Hive.

Step 1: Prepare the Parts

Take all of the Warre hive components you have built and lay them on some cardboard, newspaper or scrap wood. You can stack the hive boxes if you have more than one. You can also lay thin strips of across two saw horses to provide a place to paint the roof and floor as in the photo above. The quilt does not need to be painted.

Step 2: Apply the Finish

After you have set up your painting area, prepare the paint or finish of your choice and apply it. You can use a rag or paint brush for oil finishes and a paint brush for paint. Be sure to coat all the corners and joints of the hive parts as you apply the finish.

Step 3: Apply a Second Coat

When you are finished applying your finish of choice, let it dry for the period of time recommended by the manufacturers of the finish. When your Warre hive is dry, apply a second coat of finish to further weatherproof your Warre beehive.

Congratulations! You have now finished your Warre Hive! In the next section we will install the Warre Hive.

Go on to the Installation →

Step 1: Prepare the Parts

To build a Warre hive roof we will need to cut the following wood pieces:

• 2 end gables measuring 39cm long by 21cm wide (15 3/8″ long by 8 1/4″ wide)
• 2 sides measuring 35cm long by 12m wide (13 3/4″ long by 4 3/4″ wide)
• 2 roof panels measuring 50cm long by 21cm wide (19 11/16″ long by 8 1/4″ wide)
• 1 ridge panel measuring 50cm long by 6cm wide (19 11/16″ long by 2 3/8″ wide)
• 1 coverboard measuring 39cm long by 35cm wide by 1cm thick (15 3/8″ long by 13 3/4″ wide by 3/8″ thick) This cover board can be made from 3/8″ or 1/2″ thick outdoor grade plywood.

You will also need:

• Nails or screws
• Smaller nails or screws to fasten the coverboard

Take one of the end gables measuring 39cm long by 21cm wide (15 3/8″ long by 8 1/4″ wide) and lay it on your work surface. Decide which long side of the board you want to be the top. Now place a mark on each side of the board 16cm (6 5/16″) up from the bottom. If you have a combination square or speed square, set it for 72 degrees. Place the square at the mark and draw a line towards the top of the board.

If you do not have a square, simply find the middle of the board and put a mark there. It should be around 19.5cm (7 11/16″) from either side. Now place two marks 2cm (13/16″) on each side of this middle mark. Draw some lines from these marks to the marks you put on the side of the board. Cut along these lines to create the gables. Complete this same process for the other long side measuring 39cm long by 21cm wide (15 3/8″ long by 8 1/4″ wide).

Step 2: Build the Roof

Take both of the short roof sides measuring 35cm long by 12m wide (13 3/4″ long by 4 3/4″ wide) and stand them up on your work surface. Lay one of the end gables you just cut on top of the short sides. Align the bottoms together so that the gables extend beyond the tops of the short sides. Fasten the three sides together.

Almost done! Go on to the next page where we will finish building the hive roof.

Step 1: Prepare the Parts

To build a Warre hive box we will need to cut the following wood pieces:

• 2 long sides measuring 34cm long by 21cm wide (13 3/8″ long by 8 1/4″ wide)
• 2 short sides measuring 30cm long by 21cm wide (11 13/16″ long by 8 1/4″ wide)
• 8 topbars measuring 32cm long by 2.4cm wide by 1cm thick (12 5/8″ long by 15/16″ wide by 3/8″ thick)

You will also need:

• Nails or screws
• Shorter nails or screws to attach the handles
• Even shorter nails to attach the top bars. Very small nails or pins work best, so you can remove the top bars easily during harvest time.

Top bars are an integral part of the Warre Hive Box. Each hive box needs its own set of top bars. You will need to cut rebates into two sides of the hive box to support the top bars. You can cut the rebates with a router, or you can use a table saw. Following are the instructions for a table saw. Set up your saw so that the fence is 1cm away from the blade.

Set the blade to a depth of 1cm. Take one of the short sides measuring 30cm long by 21cm wide (11 13/16″ long by 8 1/4″ wide) and run it through the saw lengthwise.

Please note that I have removed the table saw protective guard for demonstration purposes. Please do not use your table saw without proper safety precautions. Refer to the information provided by your table saw manufacturer. Thanks!

You should now have a board with a slot cut into it, as shown in the picture below.

Now take the board and stand it upright. Place the previous cut towards the fence and run the board through the table saw.

You should now have a nice rebate cut into the long side of the board. Repeat this process for the other short board measuring 30cm long by 21cm wide (11 13/16″ long by 8 1/4″ wide).

Congratulations on preparing all the hive box parts! Go on to the next page where we will build the hive box.

Step 1: Prepare the Parts

To build the Warre Hive Floor, we will need to cut the following wood pieces:

• 2 floor halves measuring 33.5cm long by 16.75cm wide (13 3/16″ long by 6 5/8″ wide)
• 2 short pieces of wood measuring 21cm long by 3cm wide (8 1/4″ long by 1 3/16″ wide)
• 1 landing board measuring 41cm long by 16cm wide (16 1/8″ long by 6 5/16″ wide)

You will also need:

• Nails or screws

First we need to outline where our hive entrance will be. Take one of the floor halves measuring 33.5cm by 16.75cm (13 3/16″ by 6 5/8″) pieces and grab a ruler. Measuring from one edge of the board, mark the following points on the long side of the board:

• 10.75cm (4 1/4″)
• 22.75cm (8 15/16″)

These are the edge points of our hive entrance. At each of these points, use a square to draw straight lines 5cm (1 15/16″) long at right angles to the edge of the board. Using a straight edge, draw a line connecting the two edge lines to form a rectangle. When finished, your board should look similar to the one below.

Now cut along the two 5cm (1 15/16″) lines with a handsaw or table saw. Stop each cut at the end of the line. See the picture for details.

Take a chisel and remove the extra wood between the two cuts. When finished, you may want to use some sandpaper to smooth out the chiseled area.

Congratulations on preparing all the floor parts! Go on to the next page where we will build the main floor assembly.

Step 1: Prepare the Parts

To build the Warre Hive Quilt, you will need to cut the following wood pieces:

• 2 short sides measuring 30cm long by 10cm wide (11 13/16″ long by 3 15/16″ wide). The edge width of the board is up to you. A good size is anywhere between 20mm to 25mm (3/4″ to 1″) wide.
• 2 long quilt sides measuring 34cm long by 10cm wide (13 3/8″ long by 3 15/16″ wide).
• 1 piece of cloth measuring about 40cm by 40cm (15 3/4″ by 15 3/4″)

You will also need:

• Nails or screws
• Staples or small brads

Step 2: Build the Box

Take the pieces of wood and assemble them into a box. As you can see in the picture below, the longer sides go on the outside of the shorter sides of wood. As you build the box, check the internal measurements every so often. They should be 30cm by 30cm (11 13/16″ by 11 13/16″).

Step 3: Attach the Cloth

Take the box you built in Step 2 and lay it on a flat surface. Lay the cloth over the box, as in the picture below.

Use your staple gun to staple the cloth to the box. You can also use a hammer and small brads. It works best to put a couple of staples in one side to hold the cloth to an edge, and then stretch the cloth to the opposite side and staple it. Do the same for the remaining two sides. Go back around the box stapling every few inches to hold the cloth in place. You want the cloth to be taut across the top of the box with no wrinkles. It will stretch over time, so get it good and tight.

Trim any loose ends of the cloth, and fold the extra amount of cloth over the edges and down the sides of the box. Staple or nail the cloth to the sides of the box. This will keep the edges from fraying. You can also fold the cloth around the corners of the box to further prevent fraying. As you can see, I cut my edges long to demonstrate the corner for you. You are welcome to trim your fabric shorter to save on cloth.

Congratulations on completing the Warre Hive Quilt! In the next section, we will assemble the Warre Hive Floor.

Go on to the Warre Hive Floor →

Cutting

Here is a quick way to measure and cut wood using a measuring tape, a hand saw and a pencil.

Draw a mark with your pencil where you want to cut the board.  Be sure to place a mark at each edge of the board.  Take your handsaw and set the handle at the base of the board, as in the picture below.  Align the spine of the saw to the pencil marks.

While holding the saw with one hand, use your pencil to draw a line down the board along the spine of your saw as in the picture below.

The marked board is ready to cut.

Fastening

Whether you are using nails or screws, it is important to remember that fasteners can split your wood.  Here are some ways to prevent your wood from splitting.

Choose the right size of fastener

If your fastener is too wide for the width of board you are using, the wood may split apart as you install the fastener.  A good rule of thumb is to use fasteners whose diameter is one third to one half the width of the board you are fastening.  For instance, if you are fastening wood with a 1 inch width, then use a nail or screw whose diameter is 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch.

Fasten away from edges

Position your nails or screws away from the edges of the board.  Your wood can split if the fasteners are installed right at the edge of the board.  Make sure that the fastener is centered when fastening straight into the edge of a board.  Also, watch that the fastener is vertical as it goes into the wood.  This will help to keep your wood from splitting.

Pre-drill holes

In some cases you may need to pre-drill holes for your fasteners.  Use a drill bit with a diameter a little smaller than that of the the nail or screw you will use.  Drill a hole into the wood, then install your fastener into this hole.  Pre-drilling is especially helpful for wood with knots, or for places in the board which could split easily.

Safety

Bee Safe!

Working with wood can be dangerous.  Always be sure to read and understand the user manuals that came with your tools.   Use your tools, chemicals and finishes in accordance with their respective user manuals and the instructions that were provided with them.  Always wear protective equipment and be sure to employ all of the safety features that came with your tools.

This safety warning does not address all of the potential dangers that could arise from using this construction guide or building a Warre hive.  It is up to you to read and understand your user manuals and instructions for all of your tools, chemicals and finishes.  Be smart with your tools, and use your common sense.  Bee Safe!

In the next section, we will start assembling the Warre Hive Quilt…

Go on to the Warre Hive Quilt →

Wood

There a number of wood varieties that are good for beehives. Pine is the most popular, with cedar a close second. Softer woods like pine and cedar tend to be used more often than hard woods on account of weight. Soft woods are often less expensive as well, compared to the hard woods such as oak, or maple. According to Emile Warre in his book “Beekeeping for All,” he found that the pine seems to work well and has the added advantage of low cost.

Warre also mentions that the wood thickness must be no less than 20mm(0.79″). He preferred 24mm(0.94″) for added strength in the hive box and floor. So a good wood thickness would be anywhere between 3/4 inch to 1 inch. In my hives, and in this tutorial, I have used 1″ x 12″ (callout) pine shelving. It is the same lumber size that is used in commercial ten-frame hives. Callout means that the lumber measurements are taken before the lumber is planed. Planing usually shaves off a little bit of wood. So a 1″x12″ board is closer to 3/4″x11.5″ than actually 1″x12″.

You will need about 30-60 board feet of wood per hive.

You will need about 30-60 feet of wood per hive, if you use a standard width of about 12 inches. To give you an idea of cost, 1″x12″ pine shelving costs around $1.24-$1.97US per board foot in the US. Also, you will need a 14″x14″ piece of thin wood like 3/8″ plywood to complete the roof.

On a side note, I have recently purchased some wood which was salvaged from an old barn. It is close grain cedar and still has the red barn paint on it. It makes a nice hive box! And, I don’t have to worry about treating the exposed edges since cedar is naturally weatherproof.

Fasteners

Nails or screws…what to use? In this construction guide, I use nails but I recommend screws. Screws work best to hold your wooden hive together. Wood naturally moves and twists as it weathers, so using screws helps to keep your hive tight.

Whether you choose nails or screws, just be sure that the width of your fastener does not split your wood. If you are using 1″x12″ pine, then 6d or 7d galvanized nails or similar sized screws work well along the joints. 7d nails or similar sized screws are almost perfect to nail the end joints, but they can be hard to find. Be sure to use galvanized fasteners since they resist rust longer than bright or regular finish fasteners.

You will need a few other sizes of fasteners to attach various parts of the Warre hive. As you can see in the hive box above, the handles are nailed to the side of the box. 5d galvanized nails work well for this, or similar sized screws. Also, you will need small short nails or metal pins to hold the top bars in place as you can see at right.

On the next page we will look at some more materials that you will need to build a Warre Hive.

Tape Measure

Hand Saw

Hammer

Combination Square or Pitch Square

Hand Plane

Utility Knife

Levels

Additional Tools and Glue

You may need some additional tools depending on how you build your hive. For instance, you can use a table saw to make the majority of your cuts. I use one since it speeds up my preparation time. Also, you may need an electric screw gun if you choose to use screws instead of nails.

Metric is easier to use than Imperial

If you are using the free Warre hive plans to build your hive, you will notice that all of the measurements are given in centimeters with inches as a secondary measurement. When I first saw this, I went ahead and bought a metric measuring tape. It is easier for me to use the metric units than to translate all of the metric units to imperial units.

A word about glue…some people feel that glue should not be used in beehives. The theory is that glue may emit gasses over time. These gasses may be harmful to the bees inhabiting the hive. On the other hand, there are some who feel that the gas effect of the glue is inconsequential compared to the strength of a glued hive. I personally do not use glue in my hives; however feel free to use some if you want to.

Next up is the Materials List…

Go on to the Materials List →