Butterfly fastener

01 · THIS OR A PLATE

The question is whether you will open it again

Both parts do the same job — stopping floor, brood box and super working loose — but they part company on one point: the union plate is screwed on and stays, and taking it off needs a screwdriver. This catch opens and closes by hand. So the plate suits equipment you do not plan to separate, and the catch suits everything you open weekly or load and unload for migration: secure it for the journey, arrive, release it in seconds.

02 · HOW IT GOES ON

One half on each part, facing each other

Offer both halves up to the parts you want to join, checking the faces sit properly before tightening: a catch fitted over a misaligned joint pulls out of true and eventually splits the wood at the screw. The usual fitting is in pairs, one on each side, so the hold is spread. The screws are separate and, as with any hive hardware, they must stop short of the wall thickness — a point showing inside will snag where the frames pass.

03 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is sold singly, so do your sum by joints rather than by hives: two catches per joint and two joints per hive comes to four. The galvanised finish is what lets it live outdoors without rusting, which is the only real demand on hardware that stays out all year. And check the tightness at the start of the season: a loose catch holds less than none, because it looks as though it is doing the job.