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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Thanks for the video. I’m in pest control and get called out to numerous Bee jobs. If they’re aggressive, they get the chemical. If they’re pretty calm, I try and smoke them and retrieve the hive. I’ve got two hives this summer that were chemical free and pulled over 7 quarts of pure honey out of them. Family and friends have loved it. I’ve had to teach myself how to remove bees safely without getting stung or as much when their aggressive. I hope to start a beehive in my backyard and a buddies farm next summer. Thanks again.
Chew it, eat the honey. Dont throw away the comb, melt it and make candles!
I’m confused on dimensions. The sides are 18″ and 22″. Because the box joints overlap by 1″ on each end (not by 3/4″ as for dimensional 1x lumber), when assembled, the opening is 16″ x 20″, the same size as the plywood top with the 3-1/2″ holes. Therefore, the top fits into the opening but has no way to be attached to the sides. Obviously that’s not the case. How is the plywood attached to the sides? My best guess is that the top is actually 18″ x 22″, but after the 1″ x 1″ frame pieces are installed, the usable space is 16″ x 20″. Is the top sandwiched between the frame and the sides? Unfortunately the pictures are not large enough to see if that’s the way they’re assembled. Thanks for the fun idea.
First, this is NOT a project for a beginning beekeeper. The jars only have the screw ring but NOT the lid on them, so the jar is still open. The bees will build comb in the jars and fill and cap the comb with honey. When you remove the jars, you allow the bees to exit the jar, you then take extra honey from extraction and fill the rest of the space in the jar and then put the lid with seal on it.
How do you get organic honey unless its in the middle of 2000 acres? Bees forage up to 2 miles. Also how do you get the bees removed and honeycomb uncapped if its in the jar?
I enjoyed your beehive in a jar