Buying equipment
New equipment is guaranteed disease free and will give you years of use. Second hand equipment is cheaper but you are advised to obtain a certificate verifying it disease free before purchasing.
The equipment you buy depends on your skills, the tools you have and your budget. If you are capable of putting together your own hives and frames from standard bought wooden parts, then of course its cheaper. It is not advisable to make the actual parts yourself as the measurements are refined and exact, based on a lot of research and its advisable to buy standard sized parts.
1. Timber Boxes come in 8 or 10 frame size. The 8 frame is popular due to less weight. Both sizes can take standard wooden or Plastic Frames. The boxes can be purchased pre built or parts only. Victoria tends to use 8 frame boxes and the rest of the world uses 10 frame boxes.
The video below is 1 min 13 sec long and demonstrates a quick way of assembling hive boxes. Hive body assembly fixtureBelow some of the timber parts to put boxes together. Plus bottom boards and lids.
Wooden hives need a lot of maintenance and wear out after a few years if not maintained.
2. Wooden Frames can be purchased in parts with separate foundation to be made up by the beekeeper or they can be purchased already made up.
How to make a Wooden Frame video with foundation already embedded with wire. About 7 minutes long, Making Wooden Frame
There are many methods, and these can be shown to you at a Field Day or similar demonstration.
3. Plastic Frames come with plastic foundation that does not need to be replaced, and no wires are required.
The red plastic frame below opens to insert wax foundation and then clicks back together again. As shown on the video that gives details of purchase. Video is about 7 minutes long.
All frames fit in all hives. However, there are different depths of boxes and there are frames to match the different depths. Choose the depth depending on the weight you can lift.
If you don’t have the skills, tools or are time poor to put hive parts together yourself, then you are better to buy pre built boxes and frames which are more expensive of course. Wooden frames made up with foundation can be bought fully constructed or plastic frames with plastic foundation, that last a long time.
No Maintenance, no construction, just add the bees. Go to their website to see the variety available, Better Bee Hives
Pre built completely maintenance free plastic hives with plastic frames and foundation are available. All you have to do is buy the bees, or pick up a swarm and they are ready to go.
Plastic hives don’t melt in hot temperatures and bees don’t die of heat and melted wax foundation. Plastic hives and plastic frames don’t melt in hot temperatures, as shown on Black Saturday in 46 deg, the plastic survived where the foundation in the wooden hives melted. Bees don’t care if their hive is wooden or plastic. Both types need to be left for a couple of weeks to get rid of the smell of paint or plastic.
1. Hasson’s Aussie Plastic Hives
Aussie plastic Hives
Hasson’s Aussie Hives well worth going to their website. Maintenance free, keeps stable temperatures and minimises disease.
https://www.facebook.com/HassonsHives/
2. Nuplas Plastic Hives can be obtained from Nuplas Plastic Hives
A full depth box is used at the bottom for the brood box which gives the queen room to lay her eggs, and doesn’t have to be lifted very often. Then there are boxes that go on top for the honey, these are called ‘supers’. These come in full depth, 3/4 depth and 1/2 depth. As these become full of honey they get very heavy to lift, and you choose which depth suits you. You can buy frames to match all sizes in both wood and plastic. Not all plastic hives come with all sizes available, so check out with the maker. You can get frames from one maker to go into another maker’s hives.
A Hive Tool, bee brush, a double vented Smoker such as a Beeco, instructions for using the smoker, a gas lighter to light it, and pine needles for fuel. A queen excluder, a bee suit, gloves with long sleeves, gum boots.
Australian Made Beeco Smokers
Always purchase a double vented, quality smoker, not only are they easier to light and easier to use, they are also much safer.