I'm getting ready to add another beehive to my place so I decided to build the hive myself. Here's a picture of the finished hive. It consists of a bottom, two brood boxes, two medium supers, and a top. It's made from pine. Working with pine is nice. It's an easy wood to work with and not very expensive. I paid $1.50/bd ft for 12" wide planks.
Beehive001.jpg
I made the boxes with hand-cut half blind dovetails. I thought maybe the bees would appreciate having a home that was build like furniture and they'd want to stay, rather than swarm
Beehive002.jpg
Inside, I put sheet metal on each of the rabbets which will support the frames. This is to minimize damage to the wood when you're using the hive tool to pry the frames apart or remove them.
Beehive004.jpg
And I made a top and covered it with galvanized sheet metal.
Beehive003.jpg
Next, I need to paint the boxes. Then get some bees. Maybe split a hive.
Mike