It seems everyone is interested in how to make your own beehive in a jar. Have the rows of organic honey jars at the farmers market got you thinking about starting your own backyard beehive? If you live in a suburban area, you may think that starting a beehive cannot be done. However a common suburban backyard can be a perfect place for beehives if done correctly and you do a bit of research and planning before ordering your bees and supplies. It is actually a very simple and easy process with the right tools. Everything you need is below including a supplies list and pictures of our DIY beehive.
Materials Needed TO Make Your Own Backyard Beehive In A Jar:
1 – Piece of 2″ x 12″ x 6′ wood (cut 2 pieces for the sides to 22″)
1 – Piece of 2″ x 12″ x 6′ wood (cut 2 pieces for the front and back to 18″)
1 – Piece of 1″ x 1″ x 6′ wood (cut 2 pieces for the top frame left and right sides to 22″)
1 – Piece of 1″ x 1″ x 6′ wood (cut 2 pieces for the top frame front and back to 18″)
1 – Piece of thick plywood (cut to 16″ X 20″)
1 – Bottom beehive kit (for the bees to enter and exit)
12 – Big mouth quart sized jars (for honeycomb)
1 – Box of wood screws (size 1″ screws)
1 – Can of wood stain (use a dark wood stain of your choice)
And of course, you need bees, most bees are available only in March and April but you can try these links to order your honey bees online – 3lbs of honey bees – Queen Bees For Sale
First get a piece of thick plywood and cut to 16″ x 20″.
Then measure and center for 12 holes and drill the pilot holes.
Next, drill 12 – 3 1/2″ holes with a hole saw (for the jars to fit into).
Next cut 2 – 22″ pieces from a 2″ x 12″ x 6′ board and 2 – 18″ pieces from a 2″ x 12″ x 6′ board.
Then screw everything together and stain the wood with dark wood stain (or whatever you choose).
Get your 12 wide mouth mason 1/2 gallon size jars (or a normal quart sized jar).
Then arrange them and make sure they all fit properly over the holes.
Here is the 12 beehive jars arranged and installed in our backyard beehive.
The jars sit with the screw lid on for less than 1/16″ gap between the jar and the beehive hole.
You may need to add some shims to support the weight so it won’t sag with the weight of the honey.
Another view of our DIY backyard beehives in a jar project.
You can vent and screen this chamber if there is excess heat or put the beehive where it gets late day shade.
The bottom wooden piece we purchased as a kit and this is where the bees enter and exit the beehive.
The bees are seen here after we added them to the jars, they are now ready to make organic honey.
After much time, here is what the honeycomb jars look like filled with honey.
MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT BEES IN A JAR?
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW…
Written by Keith Schneerer
Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com
Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.
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We raise bees also, but are confused at why the honey does not run back out of the upside down jars when they’re on the box?
It always amazes me how people have questions but don’t take the time to read the information in front of them. Simply amazing. Thank you for this awesome tip about bees and honey and hives. Read, people, read!
thank you matt for clarifiying i love bees and want to do this project one day.
Hi there! This looks amazing!
Some questions though:
What does the box look like from the inside? Is it empty? Or do you need to put some kind of frames in it?
Doesn’t the honey drip down from the jar?
When you screw a jar with honey off, how do you get the bees out?
Hope any kind bee person has some answers! Thanks in advance :)
Anne
Lots of misinformation in the comments section, along with somegood questions. The jars have the screw lid on, but NOT the metal cap. In other words the jar mouth is completely open. The board with the holes that the jars fit in to sit on top of the bees brood chamber. The brood chamber is where the main bee hive is… where the bees raise their young and live. Bees store their honey directly above their brood chamber (and some IN the brood chamber). Normaly beekeepers put boxes called “supers” above the brood chamber for the bees to use to draw the honey comb and store the honey. In thise scenario, instead of boxes they put the board with the jars on top. The jars fill the holes of the board, and the board covers the hive so that rain and sun don’t get in. In hot areas it needs to be in the shade or the jars cook and tansfer heat into the hive. No wax foundation is put into the jars. Bees have been building honey comb for millions of years without human wax foundation. The jar is simply an empty cavity (like a tree cavity) where they can build comb to store honey. The bees build the comb, fill the comb with honey, and then cap the comb with wax so the honey doesnt drain out. The bee keeper then removes the jars once it’s capped, and fills it up the rest of the way with honey that’s been extracted from normal hives. You then dip the honey out with a spoon. As you get down into the comb, you use a spoon to dig out chunks of comb filled with honey. When you do it this way, you mash it all up together (comb and honey) and spread it on toast, or put it in tea, or eat it straight (or however else you eat honey). The wax is a bit chewy, but perfectly safe to eat, and rather tasteless. It’s the honey that tastes amazing! Hope this helps…
My Dad used to always get honey with the comb in it because he knew it was pure and unprocessed. someone asked “what do you do with the comb”…You chew it! lol, its wax with honey instead, its great, or was when I was a kid! My only question is, how do you start it, where do you get the first queen and workers,,,buy them….because I have no idea where you would get wild bees.
this is the best way for produce honey in a jar! thanks.