You may be surprised to find out that you can build the beehive of your dreams with only a few simple tools and fasteners. Most of what you need is probably sitting in your garage or shed right now, and you can easily pick up what you don’t have at your local hardware store or big-box home improvement store.
Basic tools for building a beehive include the following:
Carpenter’s hammer (16 or 20 ounce head)
Carpenter’s square (8 inch to 12 inch size is fine)
Folding ruler or tape measure (calibrated in inches, not metric)
Hand-held circular saw (with combination blade and plywood blade)
Hand-held power drill
7/64 inch drill bit
1/8 inch drill bit
½ inch drill bit
1 inch drill bit
1-½ inch drill bit
3 inch drill bit
#2 Phillips head screw bit
Staple gun (heavy-duty)
Table saw (with combination blade, plywood blade, and stacked set dado blade adjustable up to ¾ inch)
Tin snips
Typical fasteners you need for building beehives include the following:
#6 x 5/8 inch wood screws, #2 Phillips drive, flat-head
#8 x ½ inch lath screws, galvanized, #2 Phillips drive, flat-head with sharp point
#6 x 1-3/8 inch deck screws, galvanized, #2 Phillips drive, flat-head with coarse thread and sharp point
#6 x 2-½ inch deck screws, galvanized, #2 Phillips drive, flat-head with coarse thread and sharp point
Nails you typically use when building beehives include the following:
6d x 2 inch galvanized nails
5/32 inch x 1-1/8 inch flat-head diamond-point wire nails
5/8 inch brads
Other fasteners you use to build beehives include
3/8 inch staples for use in a heavy-duty staple gun
Foundation pins (available from beekeeping supply stores)