Hello dear beekeepers and beginners!
This beehive is a concept based on the legendary Stewarton hive but with substantial modifications.
Can be printed on a 300x300 3Dprinter.
The construction of this hive is simple and effective. the shell will be 3D printed, and 20 and 25 mm expanded polystyrene will be used inside for better thermal insulation. The dome and the bottom of the hive will also be insulated with this polystyrene, but a polyurethane foam spray can also be used.
For the legs of the hive, we will use wooden blocks that will be inserted into the given cavities (recommended hard essence so that it can be resistant to weather changes).
The frames are 18 in number and vary from 270mm to 572mm.
8 frames 572mm and the rest 10 frames in descending order up to 270mm.
After printing, the assembly is very easy and you will need: superglue, regular silicone, a wood saw to cut the wooden legs, a piece of 120 grit sandpaper, and to follow the tips in the PDF I created for you.
The benefits of this beehive are:
1. Low cost.
2. Having these files you will be able to print as many beehives as you want or need.
3. Quick cleaning (because it can be washed).
4. Good hygiene for the bees.
5. Bee kill prevention system (see layer feet).
And more
Its dimensions are:
608mm width by 265mm height 1 single layer (18 frames) without dome (lid) and 608mm width by 503.5mm height with lid and base with wooden legs
If you use two layers (36 frames) then we have a height of 764.5mm.
Other specifications:
We have a magnetic entrance gate (we use 2 strong neodymium magnets of 10 mm dia x 4 mm) that can be set for summer or winter weather by detaching it and attaching it on the opposite side to reduce the size of the entrance.
We have a 110 mm hole at the base of the hive that can be plugged depending on the weather or needs. A 110mm pipe cover can be used, used in drain water installations and which is cheap.
https://skyplastics.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/232b97782ab9e0775c4133002c3b6bd9/1/1/110mm_socket_plug.jpg
This cover can be used to cover this hole in the winter, and for the summer we can use another cover but this time we can attach a fine net for better ventilation and comfort for the bees.
Recommendation:
To avoid the degradation of PLA or PETG, I recommend that you sand the outer surface and use a primer and preferably a light paint to repel the sun's rays. (if you are in an area where the cold is predominant, you can opt for a darker color paint).
This is a video explaining how to setup the frames of this hive model.
https://youtu.be/LKyKpZfLwDY?si=X5zv2L9nvovtlnIC
I will add the pdf soon, although you won't need it, but this is what a job well done looks like in my opinion.
Any question or recommendation is more than welcome and I will answer you as soon as possible.
Enjoy this beautiful beehive!