Some of the “beginner’s” books on beekeeping I’ve seen do mention, almost in passing, that some ability at woodworking may be advantageous to the prospective beekeeper.

Having originally started with some old hives from a retiring beekeeper, it was a little while before we were introduced to the nitty-gritty of building frames and hives. However at the peak of this summer’s nectar flow, with colonies growing and needing more space, it’s all we can do to keep pace. Over the past few days we’ve assembled a brand new brood box and lid, built a new floor from scraps, put together a dozen new frames and rebuilt a dozen or so more.

The new kit is using Thorne’s products, and thankfully even their budget and “seconds” kits are precision-cut and usually fit together very tightly. Even so there’s a fair bit of work involved; every single frame requires eleven carefully-positioned nails and, for the brood boxes and supers, we discard the supplied nails and screw together for extra longevity.

Even once assembled, everything (except the frames) needs a coating of wood preserver.