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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9l1ZyrPVSLmafzOKThifYNMrdXJuS7XSMC9g98BaT-9KK3DgkYm8sVynAZ58ol1qqMkieXuLYpjpTqM5eH-anoZBZtw6F_qtYhZDa5Zgezg580sjwPWpFvOVFswdTEIhyphenhyphenEkUnjP3p7s/s400/hive+standfor+BB.jpg)
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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNATmNH75qbRTqOEzB4WNETQqY1jXpNLkd5ytZymY1o8ujYYm2S2dvZgOvYQH6phJwQaOEAJ9gcYCYAXdMaQIoZuFGggfRNheWhyphenhyphen-txzspWY4ZyWdq8r6TgUn3rC-Vq0e6UdnqLp68zM/s400/IMG_2302.JPG)
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