Mountain Sweet Honey

How to properly assemble a honey super

How to properly assemble a bee hive super

1. You need these tools to begin – hammer, carpenter’s square and four clamps.

2. Your hive box has pre-drilled nail holes. There are nail holes on each finger of the pre-cut joint. The deep super shown has 5 fingers on each side of every piece (a total of 10 fingers per piece).


3. Be sure to use Titebond glue on all connecting end pieces. Now you can start nailing the box together. Pick a top corner and hammer in one nail. Nail a second nail into the same corner of the box on the adjacent side. Check if the box is square as you go along. You don’t need to check after every nail but check often to keep the box aligned. It is much easier to adjust the box as you go along than have to remove nails and start over. Make sure all four handles are on the outside of the box.

4. Move to the next corner and hammer in one nail and a cross nail on the adjacent side. Continue to nail the remaining two corners in the same fashion.

5. Check for squareness in all corners.  Start in one corner and hammer in one nail and the adjacent cross nail. Work your way around the box until all four corners are nailed.

Check if the box is square, tweaking and muscling into place if necessary.

After all 40 nails are hammered into the finger joints you have a finished hive box.

6. Wipe off all excess glue. Let dry for 48 hours.

7. Then paint with exterior paint (two coats). Let dry for 48 hours between coats. Paint only where the weather will come in contact with the wood. Never paint inside of the hive.

 

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