OZ ARMOUR 3-Level Assembled & Painted Hive - Wax-Dipped Mesh Board

A 3 Level Beehive With a Mesh Bottom Board Built for Small Hive Beetle

Open a hive in most of eastern Australia in late summer and you will find small hive beetle somewhere in it. A strong colony keeps them cornered, but they wait for a weak patch, a wet week or a super left on too long. Solid floors give them nowhere to go but the corners. The beekeepers who stop worrying about beetle are usually the ones who changed the floor.

This OZ ARMOUR hive is built around that floor. Three full-depth boxes in 22mm New Zealand pine, assembled with screws and nails and painted white, sit on a wax-dipped mesh bottom board with a beetle trap. A ventilated telescopic lid goes on top and a metal queen excluder is in the box. Choose 8 frame or 10 frame and it is ready for bees the day it arrives.

Beetle Control and Varroa Monitoring in One Floor

The floor is stainless mesh over a removable tray. A beetle chased by the bees drops through the mesh and cannot climb back, and a layer of diatomaceous earth in the tray finishes the job with no chemicals near the comb. The mesh also lets air move up through the hive and debris fall out.

The same tray is your varroa monitoring board. Smear it with petroleum jelly or a little oil, slide it in for 24 to 48 hours and count what drops. The board is dipped in hot natural beeswax rather than painted, which soaks into the timber, keeps water out far longer than a surface coat and leaves nothing to flake.

22mm Pine, Telescopic Lid and Metal Excluder

Every box is 22mm pine, 3mm thicker than the 19mm timber in most imported hives. It holds steadier through hot days and cold nights and stays square under a full honey super. Kept painted and off the ground, a box lasts 15 to 20 years or more. The exterior is UV and weather-resistant white paint, with the inside left as bare timber. The telescopic lid sheds rain and its ventilation lets hot air out the top, and the metal excluder keeps the queen below so the honey frames come out clean.

Running Three Boxes

In spring, run two brood boxes and one super, with the excluder above the second brood box. Once the flow is on, drop to one brood box and run two supers above. Starting from a nuc, one box is enough for the first month or two.

8 Frame or 10 Frame, With or Without Frames

Ten-frame is the Australian standard and holds more honey per box. Eight-frame boxes are lighter when full and suit a small yard. Add frames at checkout for 24 wax-embedded frames (8 frame) or 30 (10 frame), enough for all three boxes, or take the hive without them.

Where It Sits in the Range

The 2-level version has one less super. The 3-level assembled painted hive without the mesh board is the same hive on a solid painted floor, for areas where beetle is not a problem. The gabled hives add a pitched roof.

One Honest Note

The mesh board does not remove beetle on its own. It gives the bees a way to win and gives you a tray to check. A weak colony with too much space can still be overrun, so keep to the boxes the bees can cover and empty the tray regularly.

Specifications

• Brand: OZ ARMOUR, trusted since 2018
• Configuration: 3 full-depth boxes, assembled with screws and nails, painted white
• Timber: 22mm New Zealand pine, 3mm thicker than standard 19mm imported hives
• Exterior: UV and weather-resistant white paint, interior unpainted
• Bottom board: wax-dipped mesh bottom board with beetle trap and removable tray (not included on all hive models)
• Beetle control: diatomaceous earth in tray, varroa monitoring via oiled tray with a 24 to 48 hour count
• Lid: ventilated telescopic
• Queen excluder: metal, included
• Sizes: 8 frame or 10 frame Langstroth
• Frames: optional at checkout, wax-embedded, 24 (8 frame) or 30 (10 frame)
• Expected life: 15 to 20+ years with basic care

What is included with the hive?

Three full-depth painted boxes, a wax-dipped mesh bottom board with beetle trap and tray, a ventilated telescopic lid and a metal queen excluder. Frames are optional.

How does the mesh bottom board control small hive beetle?

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

Can I monitor varroa with the tray?

Yes. Smear the tray with petroleum jelly or oil, slide it in for 24 to 48 hours and count the mites that drop.

Why is the bottom board wax dipped?

Hot natural beeswax soaks into the timber, keeps water out far longer than paint and leaves nothing to flake or re-coat.

How thick is the timber?

22mm New Zealand pine, which is 3mm thicker than the 19mm timber in most imported hives.

Should I choose 8 frame or 10 frame?

Ten-frame is the Australian standard and holds more honey. Eight-frame is lighter when full. Match your existing size if you already keep bees.

How many frames come with the frames option?

24 wax-embedded frames for the 8-frame hive or 30 for the 10-frame hive, enough to fill all three boxes.

Is the hive painted inside?

No. The exterior is painted white with a UV and weather-resistant finish, and the inside is left as bare timber.

Will the mesh board get rid of beetles completely?

No. It gives the bees a way to win and gives you a tray to check. A weak colony with too much space can still be overrun.

How long will the hive last?

15 to 20 years or more with basic care, kept painted and off the ground.