LA Backwards Beekeeper Erik of the blog
Root Simple (and co-author with Kelly Coyne of
The Urban Homestead) writes:
Here's a hive stand I did in Google sketchup. I discovered the hard way that the stand needs to be super-sturdy. Hives get heavy, after all--well over 150 pounds by summertime. My first hive almost toppled over.
And, them damn ants! Had an invasion this winter that I was, thankfully able to fend off. I coat the legs with tangefoot (which you can get at a nursery) and put the legs in cans of cheap cooking oil. I have noticed ants, by the way, walking on the surface of liquids, so the tangefoot is a good backup.
The metal sheets over the oil cans keep the bees from falling in the cans and drowning. Lumber dimensions are variable depending on what you have on hand.
—Erik
