Beenuk Waxed Cardboard Dadant Blatt & US Nuc

01 · THE TWO SIZES

The assembly chooses the format

There are not two references nor two boxes: there is one die-cut blank with an order of folding. Depending on how you close the flaps you get the Dadant Blatt size — the 47 cm frame — or the Dadant US, somewhat longer. Decide the format before you start assembling, because once it is glued there is no going back.

02 · THE GLUE

Honey-coloured hot melt, and it is not a whim

Use honey-coloured hot-melt glue to seal the joints. The white or clear sticks are the ones you find in any hardware shop and they are also the ones that fail: over time they do not hold the weight or the damp, and the box opens at a joint with the colony inside. It is the tip most repeated by people who assemble these by the dozen.

03 · THE WATERPROOFING

Paint yes, dip no

The board already comes paraffin-coated, but to see out a season outdoors it is worth giving it a coat of waterproof paint or hive paint, above all on the lid — or lining the lid with metal sheet. What must not be done is dipping it: while the excess oil is fresh, it bothers the bees.

04 · WHAT IT IS FOR

Transport and temporary housing

It is the box for the split that travels to another apiary, for the swarm you collect and for the nuc you sell. It weighs little, stacks flat before assembly and works out cheap per unit, which is what makes it practical when you handle several. It is not a hive to winter in: cardboard is a seasonal solution, not one for years.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It has no ventilation mesh in the floor and no handles. If you are going to move it loaded and in summer, count on sorting the ventilation yourself.