OZ ARMOUR 3-Level Gabled Flat Pack Hive - Mesh Board

The Cottage-Roof Hive as a Kit: Roof and Floor Built, Boxes and Paint Left to You

A gabled roof is the part of a hive most people would not want to build themselves. Getting the pitch even, the ridge tight and the telescopic rim square is fiddly work, and a roof with a gap in it leaks. The boxes, on the other hand, are four panels and a handful of screws. So this kit builds the hard part and leaves the easy part.

You get three full-depth boxes in 22mm pine as flat panels with screws and step-by-step instructions, a gabled telescopic roof already assembled, an inner cover, and a mesh bottom board with beetle trap tray. Choose 8 frame or 10 frame. The timber is unpainted, so the colour is yours to pick.

Gabled Telescopic Roof, Ready to Fit

The pitched roof sends rain off both sides, and the telescopic rim overhangs the top box so water never reaches the joint where rot usually starts. Hot air gets room to rise away from the frames and a way out, which keeps the colony cooler and the foragers foraging instead of fanning at the entrance.

Inner Cover Included

A gabled roof leaves a cavity above the frames, and bees will fill it with comb if you let them. The inner cover closes the top of the hive, stops the comb building, adds insulation over the brood and lets the roof lift off without tearing anything.

Mesh Bottom Board With Beetle Trap

Stainless mesh sits over a removable tray. Beetles chased by the bees drop through and cannot climb back, and diatomaceous earth in the tray finishes them with nothing near the comb. The same tray is a varroa monitoring board: grease it, leave it in for 24 to 48 hours and count the mite drop. This is the standard timber mesh board, so paint it with the boxes. The wax-dipped mesh bottom board is sold separately and swaps straight in.

22mm Pine Boxes

The panels are 22mm, 3mm thicker than the 19mm timber in most imported flat packs. Thicker walls insulate better, give the screws plenty of timber to bite into and are less likely to twist while you clamp them square. Painted and kept off the ground, they last 15 to 20 years or more.

What You Will Be Doing on the Weekend

Each box is four panels. Dry-fit the corners, run a bead of exterior wood glue along the joints, drive the screws and measure corner to corner before the glue sets. Three boxes take an hour or two with a cordless drill and a square. Then apply two coats of exterior acrylic to the outside of the boxes and the bottom board, leaving the inside bare, and allow a few days to cure. Order a fortnight before your bees are due.

Frames, 8 Frame or 10 Frame

Choose frames assembled and wired, unassembled or none. Either frame option gives 24 frames for the 8-frame hive or 30 for the 10-frame, enough for all three boxes. Foundation is not included. Ten-frame is the Australian standard and holds more honey per box, while eight-frame boxes are lighter and suit a smaller garden.

Running Three Boxes

In spring, run two brood boxes under one super. Once the flow is on, drop to one brood box with two supers above. A queen excluder is needed between brood and supers and is not part of this kit.

Flat Pack or Assembled and Painted

The assembled and painted 3-level gabled hive has the same roof and inner cover on the same 22mm boxes, built, painted white, on the wax-dipped mesh bottom board with a galvanised queen excluder included. This kit asks for the weekend, the paint and the excluder back. For one hive in a hurry, buy the assembled one. For more than one hive, or a colour other than white, this is the better value.

Specifications

• Brand: OZ ARMOUR
• Timber: 22mm pine, unpainted
• Includes: 3 full-depth boxes (flat pack, screws and instructions supplied), 1 assembled gabled telescopic roof, 1 inner cover, 1 mesh bottom board with beetle trap tray
• Bottom board: standard timber mesh board, paint with the boxes (wax-dipped version sold separately)
• Sizes: 8 frame or 10 frame Langstroth
• Frames: assembled and wired, unassembled, or without; 24 frames (8 frame) or 30 frames (10 frame)
• Not included: paint, wood glue, foundation, queen excluder
• Compatibility: all standard Langstroth components

What comes in the gabled flat pack kit?

Three flat-pack boxes with screws and instructions, an assembled gabled telescopic roof, an inner cover and a mesh bottom board with beetle trap tray.

What is not included?

Paint, wood glue, foundation and a queen excluder. Frames are optional at checkout.

Is the roof assembled?

Yes. The gabled telescopic roof arrives already assembled and ready to fit.

Is the timber painted?

No. The 22mm pine is unpainted, so you choose the colour. Use two coats of exterior acrylic on the outside only.

What does the inner cover do?

It closes the top of the hive under the roof, stops bees building comb in the roof cavity and adds insulation over the brood.

How long does assembly take?

Three boxes take an hour or two with a cordless drill and a square. Allow a few days for paint to cure.

How does the beetle trap work?

Beetles drop through the stainless mesh into the removable tray and cannot climb back. Diatomaceous earth in the tray finishes the job.

Is the mesh bottom board wax dipped?

No. It is the standard timber mesh board, which you paint with the boxes. The wax-dipped version is sold separately.

How many frames do I get?

24 frames for the 8-frame hive or 30 for the 10-frame, assembled and wired or unassembled. Foundation is not included.

Do I need a queen excluder?

Yes, between the brood box and supers. It is not part of this kit, so add one to your order.