Hive Components
You have made the exciting decision to become a beekeeper, your hive has arrived and you’ve unboxed the components…then you think “Where on earth do I start?” …or maybe that was just my personal experience…either way below are the fundamentals I wish I had known on that first unboxing day!
Assembling Frames
Reguardless of whether you have a flow style hive or a tradational Langstroth hive, it is critical that your brood box has waxed and wired frames. These frames gives your bees, what I describe, as a brand new colouring-in book. You are providing clear lines for the bees to ‘colour’ in with cells of brood, pollen and honey and will ultimately assist you in many inspections for the future
HINT:
Nail your frames threw the side of the frame, not from the top down
Make your wire tight, so it sings like the strum of a guitar
Keep your frames natural - no need to paint or use wood stain
Assembling Boxes
Paint your individual box sides before screwing everything together, this will allow full protection of your wooden hive as it faces the outdoor elements all year round. I use water-based outdoor paint and give 2 - 3 coats per section. Once everything is dry screw each element together in their relevant sections:
Base
Broodbox
Super
Lid
NOTE:
Some beeks opt to secure their base to the broodbox - other choose to leave them as seperate elements. There are pros and cons to each method, after trial and error I have opted to have each section as its own element as is aids flexibility when cleaning, replacing and repairing hives, allows boxes to be interchangeable between brood and supers (not the case for flow style hives)
Hive Cover:
You might want to include a hive cover between your top box and your lid as the bees love to build in open spaces, whilst the burr comb can be seen as a lovely treat, it can get quite messy to clean off. A bit of coreflute or lino/vinyl flooring works a treat
