Bee Boxes
The boxes we have available are 10-frame Langstroth (deep – 9 5/8″ and medium – 6 5/8″), unpainted dipped in wax. Bottom boards and covers are painted. There’s also inner boards, queen excluders, and entrance reducers available.
Setup
A bee hive can be made of multiple boxes depending on the growth of the family. Based on the bee population and growth over the season, in Michigan we are using two brood boxes and up to 3 medium boxes. Below is a short description of the items we have available.
Bottom Board
Bottom board is the lower section on which the boxes rest, it also has an entrance where the bees can go in and out.
Entrance reducer
The reducer is a piece of wood that allows the entrance to have multiple sizes, depending on the family size. Reducing the size of the entrance helps the bees better guard the hive from various predators. As the colony develops, the entrance size is smaller and a fully developed colony can guard the entire length of the bottom board.
Boxes
Deep boxes (also called brood boxes) are mainly used for bee population and brood growth, of course bees use the frames to deposit honey as well, competing with the queen for real estate when she attempts to lay eggs.
Medium boxes (supers) normally go on top of the brood boxes and are used for honey collection only. to make sure the queen bee does not lay eggs in the medium frames, a queen excluder is placed between thr topmost deep box and the first medium box. Queen excluders are grids specifically crafted so that only the worker bees can pass through, the queen and drones are restricted because of their larger size.
Inner Cover
The inner cover is placed on the topmost box and it features a hole in the middle to allow a feeder to be used.
Top Cover
Top cover (also called outer cover) is used on top of the hive to prevent water from rain and predators to go in the hive. the outside is painted to deflect the water and sun rays.
Pricing
Below is a breakdown of the equipment pricing:
Cover $25.00
Inner Cover $20.00
Queen Excluder $10.00
Med box only $30.00
Med box + frames + frame foundations $60.00
Deep Box only $35.00
Deep box + frames + frame foundations $70.00
Base and reducer $25.00
Placing an Order
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page to place an order. Methods of payment accepted are Venmo, Cash App, Paypal, Zelle, credit card, checks or cash. You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of filling out the form.