# My OB Hive



## ycitybz

Chas10 that is the coolest thing I have seen in a while. I would love to do that at my house, how hard was this to build and where do I fine the plans. 
My question is how do you install the bees into this and how do you work them. If you have time to explain I'd appreciate it.


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## sterling

chase10, you did a really good job building the OBhive. I have been looking around and saw the plans on there website. how hard are they to follow? And about how much will it cost to build one myself? just a ball park number please.


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## chas10

Thanks guys, plans come from Bonterra Bess. The plans are good and pretty easy to follow. you will need some wood working tools, the biggest thing is dato out the slots for the frames. I did this on a radio arm saw, this stuff is nice if you have it, Table saw, drill press etc. for what it cost for the plans, just buy them and you will always have them and build when ready. the 10 frame is what you need for my weather or at least 8 frame, if I built another one it would be 12. they sell for around $800.00 from Bonterra and I built this for $118.30, got a deal on the oak and the most expensive was the glass from the local glass co. Putting Bees in is explained in plans, but lean the hive next to house pull the glass off one side shake package in, put queen in with here cage put glass back on, leave bottom vent hole open 95% will be in hive in half hour, bring in house, your done, off course you have already mounted on your wall and test fitted everything before you deal with the bees!!!! I don,t like package bees anymore, but i think for the first time that is the way to go. seams a lot lately they will not accept the queen OB/Lang IMO. Put a marked queen in and she come up missing, bought another she come up missing, let them make there own and the rest is history. They swarm 2 times in late spring and been fortune enough to catch everyone, SO THEY MAKE ALOT OF QUEENS


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## pink bee man

Excellent


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## IsedHooah

This looks amazing. Great job!


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## WBVC

With the obs hive is it easier to determine when they will swarm?
I ask as have seen videos of folks overseas that time swarms and catch them in nets direct from the hives.
I have lusted over having a Bonterra 10 frame double swing hive for a year. Cost and management have kept me from jumping in. We have a table saw with a dado set and a drill press. Also a radial arm saw in the shop. No one that works with them is willing to build one for me..in fact I think they now see me coming and run. Are these things one can figure out how to work without too much issue?
If so I may go ahead and purchase those plans


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## Snowhitsky

I want it. I NEED it.


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## hickorynut

How do they get out to forage? Or do you have to feed them all year round.


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## Harley Craig

hickorynut said:


> How do they get out to forage? Or do you have to feed them all year round.


notice how that bottom mount is thicker? it's got a tube that runs through it to the outside.


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## beeware10

real nice job. kind of sorry I saw it. now I gotta build one. lol


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## Michael Bush

Every beekeeper should have an observation hive. Not only for what you will learn about bees, but what you can tell, day to day, about what is happening in your other hives.


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## oldiron56

Your right Michael, you get to see it all. For the past 3 years I have been pulling the queen and putting her in a nuc, and putting a grafted cell in there, one year I got 27 frames of brood and bees to make nucs. This year I let them build up the population to see them swarm. They back filled the cells that hatched, giving her nowhere to lay, and they made 5 swarm cells. I saw one capped and watched her lay three eggs the same day and told my friend they are going to swarm today and they did, she laid eggs the day she flew. What suprised me was I watched her lay those eggs that day ,and she swarmed about an hour later. Fat as all get out. I watched the bees biting at her chasing her all around. I thought they would chase her all around till she got skinny enough to fly ,but her fat but went flyin. Everyone should have an OH,,,,,Pete


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## Swedge

Nice build! 

I purchased the plans from Bonterra a while back and have been drooling about making one this winter, hopefully I'll find the time (after building my daughter a bunkbed, lol). 

I'm in SW lower Michigan (Kalamazoo area) and think I'll build eitherr a 6 or 8 frame version. My only concern with the 8 frame is the weight to do maintenance on it. Does switching to a 6 frame make it a one person job or not really.


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