[steve_in_devon]

Hi, thinking of making a hive. Interested to hear from people whomhave made their own.

Also interested to hear what hives people have and what hive are good for beginners.
Cheers

[Beewyched]

Hi Steve,
 
Not attempted to make my own - I've not got the skills or the patience 
When I used to help my father, as a child, he used the old WBC - which, imho though nice & traditional to look at can be cumbersome to handle.
I much prefer my Nationals - I use the apex-style roof to mimic the traditional look & find them so much easier to deal with & although they are only single-walled my bees were fine up in Scotland over the previous 2 very harsh winters.  Unfortunately I lost both of my colonies this winter, more I think to do with damp than anything 

[P6te]

Hi Steve,

In the (distant) past I did make a hive but in all honesty because of the accuracy required I would recommend purchasing a hive in the flat and assembling it yourself.

Regarding the type of hive to go for,  to me there is only one I'd recommend in the UK and that is the Modified National. In my experience it is the most widely used, not only for beginners but for experienced beekeepers alike.  There is no reason to change as you move from novice as you gain experience. 

If you are looking to purchase additional equipment at any time in all probability it is the National you will see advertised. 

Hope this helps

Pete

[Laurieston]

Topbar Hives are suggested as easy to build and practical too.  Also based on a 'bee friendly' approach to the whole beekeeping thing.  There are plans available freely on the internet, and lots of information and help.  Try under biobees.com

The whole approach is quite different, much more 'it all about the bees' rather than producing honey, but I think well worth a look.

I'm going to build one according to this method in a couple of weeks.

Laurieston

[P6te]

Hi Steve,

Whichever way you go ('conventional' or Top Bar approach) please let us know what you decide.

I've no experience of Top Bar hives .... and from what I know I don't intend to gain that experience either!  They are two very very different approaches to keeping bees.

Pete

[ZacB]

Hi, thinking of making a hive. Interested to hear from people whomhave made their own.

Also interested to hear what hives people have and what hive are good for beginners.
Cheers

Have you been along to a local association?
Local beekeepers in your area may be able to advise what works well with your local bee's. A further advantage to this is that should you run short of kit at any time, somebody should be able to lend you some.
As for making your own, bit beyond my skill set so have always bought