How to Make a Bee Quilt Box for Your Hive
A quilt box for bees is a simple way to help manage excess moisture inside the hive during winter. This can be especially useful in areas with long periods of cold, damp weather. In this guide, I’ll show you how to make a simple beehive quilt box and use it on your hive.
Managing hive moisture is only one part of preparing honey bees for cold weather—learn more in my guide to preparing beehives for winter.
What Is a Beehive Quilt Box?
A beehive quilt box is a shallow wooden box filled with absorbent material that is placed near the top of the hive during winter.
Its purpose is to help manage excess moisture while providing a layer of insulation above the bee cluster.
Most quilt boxes are filled with materials such as pine shavings, burlap or straw.
As warm, moist air rises from the cluster, the material helps absorb condensation that might otherwise collect inside the hive.
Why Winter Moisture Is a Problem for Bees
During the warm season, thousands of worker bees help regulate temperature and humidity inside the hive.
But, when cold weather arrives, conditions change. Less brood is being reared, the bees are not as active and they spend much of their time clustered together for warmth.
As the bees consume stored honey and generate heat, warm moist air rises toward the top of the hive.
When this warm air meets a cold surface, condensation can form. If enough moisture collects, cold water may drip back down onto the bee cluster.
Honey bees have a good system for winter survival and can handle cold temperatures surprisingly well. But cold wet bees are dead bees.
A quilt box helps absorb some of this excess moisture while allowing damp air to escape through ventilation holes.
Materials Needed
The key components of a quilt box include an outer shell, absorbent filler material and ventilation holes. You will find many variations among beekeepers, who all have their favorite way of making and using one.
Outer Shell
The outer shell of a quilt box is normally made of wood. You can build a four-sided rectangular box that fits your hive dimensions, or simply use an empty shallow super.
Filler Material
You will NOT find bee frames inside a quilt box. Instead, this space is filled with an absorbent material such as wood shavings, burlap or straw.
I prefer pine shavings. They are inexpensive, easy to find and work well for absorbing excess moisture.
Ventilation Holes
Small ventilation holes along the sides of the quilt box help excess moisture escape. I like to staple small pieces of mesh wire over the holes on the inside to help keep out unwanted visitors.
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Quilt Box vs. Moisture Board
Moisture boards are slightly different from quilt boxes.
Instead of a box filled with absorbent material, a moisture board (such as Homasote) is used—often in place of the inner cover.
Both can help manage excess moisture in the hive. However, moisture boards can be rather expensive if you only need them for a couple of hives.
The beauty of quilt boxes is that they can be made inexpensively using materials you may already have at home.
How to Make a Quilt Box for Bees
Making a DIY quilt box for bees is a simple project that requires only a few basic materials. Follow these steps to make one that fits your hive.
1. Make a short wooden box. Build a short wooden box to serve as your outer shell or container. The outside of this box should fit your hive dimensions. You can make a short one or use an empty super bee box. (Cat inspection is optional)
*Measure your hive equipment before cutting your wood. For many standard 10-frame Langstroth hives, the outside dimensions are approximately 16″ × 19 7/8″. A quilt box about 3–4″ deep works well.
2. Add ventilation holes. A few holes (even one in each side) will help air escape the hive. A few small pieces of screen over the inside will help keep out unwanted visitors.
3. Attach the bottom. Some type of breathable material is attached to the bottom of this container. It should allow air to flow through but keep bees out. It will also serve as a holder for your fill material. I often use canvas or cotton.
4. Add absorbant material. Fill the quilt box with whichever type of absorbent material you want to use. I like simple pine wood shavings.
Where Does a Quilt Box Go on a Beehive?
Install your quilt box in late fall, before cold weather arrives. There are several options for placement depending on your hive setup:
- if you have a candy board on your hive, the quilt box can go on top of that directly under the outer cover.
- otherwise, place the quilt box just under the inner cover.
- some beekeepers do not use their inner cover with a quilt box. This is a personal preference.
Whichever setup you use, the goal is to allow warm, moist air from the bee cluster to reach the absorbent material while providing a way for excess moisture to escape.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Canvas or unbleached cotton can be used for the bottom ( you don’t have to use wire)
- A deeper box 4” can be used for extra insulation
- Shavings are better than sawdust which packs tight or straw that may ferment
- check your shavings a couple of times over Winter – they should never be soggy
- watch for unwelcomed pests taking up residence in the quilt box (mice?)
- reuse it next year – I take my quilt boxes off the hives once the weather warms up.
FAQs
No, the majority of beekeepers do not use quilt boxes on their hives. But, if you live in a cold, damp climate they can be beneficial.
Some beekeepers use cedar shavings, but I prefer pine. Cedar has a strong odor, and inexpensive pine shavings have always worked well for me.
The screen or breathable barrier across the bottom of the quilt box keeps bees out of the filler material while still allowing warm, moist air to pass through.
The filler material does provide some insulation above the cluster, but moisture management is the main purpose of a quilt box. Keeping the colony dry is especially important during cold weather.
Final Thoughts
Making your own quilt box for your hive is very simple and a life saver for some colonies. Does every beekeeper need to use them? No. In fact, most beekeepers do not use quilt boxes.
However, if you live in a very cold or moist region, it certainly does not hurt to give your colonies this extra bit of care.
Build a Winter Quilt Box for Your Bees
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Read my Disclosure.Tools
- wire cutters
- stapler and staples
- Hammer
- small nails
Supplies
- 4 pieces wood to construct box 2.5-4” high – same dimension as your hive (or cut off honey super box)
- 1 piece hardware cloth (1/8" mesh) (cut to fit your wooden frame)
- 1 bag pine shavings (or other absorbent material)
- 1 can exterior paint (optional)
Instructions
- Construct a shallow wooden box – similar to a shim that will fit smoothly on top of your regular hive boxes. A standard Langstroth box measures 16” by 19 7/8” outside dimensions. The box should be about 3-4” deep. You may also choose to cut down a shallow super to the correct size if you wish.
- Drill ventilation holes if desired. Some beekeepers drill ventilation holes in the sides of the wood box. The 1/2 ” holes are angled to prevent rain from entering. The inside of the holes are screened to prevent bees from entering.This is optional – if you do not have the ability to added holes, use a couple of popsicle sticks to raise the outer cover slightly and aid in airflow.
- Cut hardware cloth (wire). Cut a piece of 1/8” hardware cloth (wire) 1” wider and longer than your wooden box. This allows you to fold the wire sides up and form a wire bottom inside the wood box. This will hold your absorbent material. It should not hang down below the wood. You can add an extra slat inside for support if needed.
- Add absorbent material. Pine shavings (found at any farm supply) are an excellent material for inside your quilt box. Pour enough inside the box to fill it almost to the top-when gently packed down. Another option, create a cheese cloth bag and fill it with pine or cedar shavings. This helps keep things less messy. And, it is handy is any problem arrives and you need to remove the shavings.
Can you use cedar shavings like those in hamster cages?
You sure could and some beekeepers do. Personally, I worry about offending the bees sensitive sense of smell so I prefer regular pine.