Bee Hive in a Bucket

Step 8 Some more thoughts

If one ever did want to take the bucket off the top, a strong pull should tear any wax comb inside and allow it to slide off the top of the pipe for accessing the bucket and the pipe. 

I'm not planning to ever do this, if the colony stays healthy.  This is just to have more bees around to pollinate things I have planted.   Since the volunteer hives established themselves, there are a lot more bees around.  Maybe because of them, my fruit trees look like they are going to be more productive this year than they were last year. 

As a design variation, if it was only a bucket that got colonized, the bee hole could be covered and the hive-in-a-bucket could be easily transported to other locations needing bees. 

If the bucket gets too hot from the sun, I will put something over it to cover it and help provide shade. 

Comments

[Turnpike7a]

any bees yet? interesting design...i'd love to put these up around all my honey suckle if they work

[Thinkenstein]

Nope. No bees yet. I think it would have to be seeded with a young colony to get it started.

[pokster]

i've heard and read that using sugar or syrup can attract them and goad them into establishing a hive, dont use honey though there can be spores in honey that can transmit diseases, would the fact that hive is made of plastic be a factor?
Maybe if you use a wooden container, btw with a similar set up you can even get a wooden post with a few holes drilled into it, and bumble bees will set up shop there. Good luck!

[paitch]

So, did the bees ever move into the bucket?

[Thinkenstein]

Not yet.  It hasn't been up long.  Fingers crossed. 

[eyepodd]

not sure if this would work but you could put a bee atractant inside to get the bees to go in there??, nice instructlble 5/5 i might start mine soon, as soon as i get a big bucket :)

[spidersaysdie]

 Realy nice instructable! My dad has been looking into bee keeping for some time but the cost is a big factor. I think he would like to collect the honey so this version is not ideal but it would be a good project to see if a colony could survive in our area. 

[Eric Rochow]

if you are interested in beekeeping, get the Beekeeping for Dummies book by Howland Atkinson.

I have 4 beginning beekeeping books, and his is the best. I re-read it all the time.

The bucket hive concept is not a good test to see if bees will survive in your area, your best bet is to search online for a local beekeeping group, they have the best local knowledge and probably offer classes.

thx, eric  www.gardenfork.tv

[spidersaysdie]

 Nice one! Thanks very much I'll see if I can pick up a copy. Not sure about local beekeeping groups as we'r on the west cost of scotland but I'll see wot I can dig up.
cheers

[stacymckenna]

I agree with comments about needing to make it easier for the bees to ventilate the bucket. an opening somewhere, even one covered in mesh to keep out pests, would be a boon to the bees, likely.

Don't worry about the entrance being too complicated. Every summer my local group keeps an observation hive at the local fair and uses a 3' long tube between the hive and the opening in the outside wall. Once the bees know how to get in and out, it's not a problem. Look at how many bees make convoluted trips through people's walls and attics to get to their hives.

What I *would* worry about is space. A single bucket is really small for a healthy colony of productive honey bees. They'd be likely to swarm (or even abscond altogether) much more often than typical given this little space.

[Treknology]

You are right. Once a hive is established worker bees can find it quite readily. I read of an experiement in bee-intelligence, where the apiartist started moving a hive 20 feet every 20 minutes--by the third or fourth time, he discovered that bees were already in the new location awaiting arrival of the hive!

[Thinkenstein]

There is connected space inside the vertical pipe, too, even extending down into the ground. 

It would be nice if they would divide and multiply instead of leaving completely when things get crowded.  It would be nice if they would colonize buckets that could be transported to other places needing bees. 

I do like the idea of better ventilation, but  I wonder if they would seal over an opening covered in mesh? 

[Treknology]

If they've not yet been occupied, I would suggest painting the unit to reduce UV decay of the plastic.