A Bee-utiful Bee Box for a Hive

We went to the Habitat for Humanity restore and bought an old drawer for $5.00, and two recycled paint cans for $.99 each.

We then removed the hardware and front face of the drawer.

Ben passed the box through the table saw for the front opening.

Trevor cut the top bars 1 3/8 inches thick, and the length was equal to the with of the drawer.

Trevor and Ben passed the box through the table saw, to make notches for the top bars to fit into.

Ben used a hand saw to cut out the top bar notches.

Next, we nailed and glued two surfaces of the top bar together and placed them within the notches of the box.

Ben made a base for the box using the front drawer piece we had taken off earlier.  Ben was sure to add a small ledge for the bees to land on.

Trevor and Ben used a hole saw to cut viewing windows in the side of the box.

I mixed our two paints for the perfect bee-attracting blue hue, and painted the box.

Trevor and Ben added Plexiglas to the inside of the viewing holes.

Trevor made the viewing door with a scrap piece of wood, and hinges previously purchased at the Habitat for Humanity Restore.  Ben hand turned the knob on the lathe especially for the bee box.

I added a few purple flowers and a "Welcome Home" sign for the bee entrance.

I made a lure of lemon balm, lavender blossoms, mint, catnip blossoms, agave nectar, and royal jelly.   I mashed the items together and placed it in the box.

Trevor made a lid out of a scrap piece of particle board and a piece of hardware previously purchased at the Habitat for Humanity Restore.

Lastly, we mounting the bee box on the back fence.