# My Observation Hive Project



## blakester

Hi, my name is Blake and I'm 15 years old. I am currently a life scout working on my eagle scout project. I have chosen to build an observation hive for my local library in an effort to educate the public on the importance of honeybees. I have received approval for the project and have designed the observation hive. There will be a video kiosk, and will be built to withstand public usage. Right now I am in the process of raising funds to build it.

I will keep you informed of my progress. You can see more details of my project at http://www.blakeoverton.com/eagle-project


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## BeeCurious

Hi Blake, 

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your project. I think you'll get a lot of support from members of Beesource... 

One thing to keep in mind, to maintain an observation hive, you will need resources from an existing hive. If you haven't already seen it, I would suggest that you get hold of a copy of "Observation Hives" by Webster and Caron.


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## blakester

BeeCurious said:


> Hi Blake,
> 
> Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your project. I think you'll get a lot of support from members of Beesource...
> 
> One thing to keep in mind, to maintain an observation hive, you will need resources from an existing hive. If you haven't already seen it, I would suggest that you get hold of a copy of "Observation Hives" by Webster and Caron.


Thank you for your input, both my father and grandfather are beekeepers, so we have many hives we can use to support the observation hive. We've had an observation hive in our house for quite a few years. I've also modeled/reviewed my design with the designer of the observation hive at the Liberty Science Museum.


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## Specialkayme

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your project.

I had my Eagle Scout ceremony 2 days before my 16th birthday. I stuck around and got my three palms. Looking back on it, I wish I had gotten more involved on OA. But oh well. Live it up and take it in. Great life lessons there.

As far as your project goes, let us know if you need any help. I don't have any experience making a video kiosk, but I've built a few observation hives and learned quite a bit about their construction and maintenance. If I can be of assistance, I'm happy to lend a hand.


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## biggraham610

Welcome Blake, and good luck with your project. I never made Eagle Scout, but both my cousins did. Keep up the good work. G


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## blakester

Hi everyone, thank you so much for the support. Since the Hive will be in a public place, I need some sort of safety glass or Lexan to withstand the tapping. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either, and possibly the price difference.

Thank You


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## TalonRedding

Blake,

Congrats on the upcoming rank. I made Eagle Scout when I was seventeen....my gosh it's been ten years already!  my project was building an aviary for Hawks and falcons at a rehab center. Good times. 

Anyways, have you considered plexiglass? It does scratch somewhat easily. I have no experience with Lexan. Safety glass might work, but you may still have determined hulligans to think about.

Oh yeah, one other thing.... I don't know what your requirements for your project are, but you may also want to see if you can get supplies donated. This can help you stretch a buck a long ways. Good luck!


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## Specialkayme

I've used plexiglass, glass, and safety glass in my observation hives in the past. All three work, with varying degrees of success:

Plexiglass - 
Pros: Cheap, difficult to break, light weight
Cons: Very difficult to clean (bees build wax on the walls of an OH), scratches easily, can be difficult to see through after successive years

Glass -
Pros: Fairly cheap, very easy to clean, doesn't scratch easily, conducts heat better
Cons: Very easy to break, can be heavy, structurally unsound

Safety Glass - 
Pros: Very easy to clean, doesn't scratch easily, keeps it's visibility over the years, super safe to be around, conducts heat better
Cons: Expensive & can be heavy

For the money, there is no way to go other than Safety Glass (in my opinion).
You could do some type of pure glass interior, plexiglass exterior. You get the ease of cleaning, with the safety of plexiglass. But if the glass breaks, be ready to replace it.
Lexan and plexiglass are very similar. Lexan has a much stronger breaking strength, but the properties from an OH build are about the same. Although I've never used one in a build myself before.

I've built about 8 different OH over the years.


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## blakester

Specialkayme said:


> I've used plexiglass, glass, and safety glass in my observation hives in the past. All three work, with varying degrees of success:
> 
> Plexiglass -
> Pros: Cheap, difficult to break, light weight
> Cons: Very difficult to clean (bees build wax on the walls of an OH), scratches easily, can be difficult to see through after successive years
> 
> Glass -
> Pros: Fairly cheap, very easy to clean, doesn't scratch easily, conducts heat better
> Cons: Very easy to break, can be heavy, structurally unsound
> 
> Safety Glass -
> Pros: Very easy to clean, doesn't scratch easily, keeps it's visibility over the years, super safe to be around, conducts heat better
> Cons: Expensive & can be heavy
> 
> For the money, there is no way to go other than Safety Glass (in my opinion).
> You could do some type of pure glass interior, plexiglass exterior. You get the ease of cleaning, with the safety of plexiglass. But if the glass breaks, be ready to replace it.
> Lexan and plexiglass are very similar. Lexan has a much stronger breaking strength, but the properties from an OH build are about the same. Although I've never used one in a build myself before.
> 
> I've built about 8 different OH over the years.


Thank you for the information! Everyone seems to think safety glass or tempered glass is my best bet, so I'll plan to use that.

-Blake


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## My-smokepole

In Theater small play groups will take clear packing tape and wrap the glass object. Just a thought. Tape the out side so you can clean the glass on the inside. 
David


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## ValleyBee

Great idea!! We have one very similar in our store.... had it for about two and a half years. It swivels and has 6 frames (one frame deep). The only thing we do is feed them.... took us forever to find something to fit in the hole lol. We did have to clean it out once when it swarmed...... nasty hive beetles took it over in just a few days. You will find the bees keep it very clean. Wishing you the best of luck


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