OZ ARMOUR 3-Level Assembled Painted Hive - Vented Lid

An Assembled Beehive, Built and Painted Before It Reaches You

A lot of new beekeepers lose their first two weekends to a flat-pack hive: one for assembly, one for painting, and often a third because the second coat was not dry when the bees arrived. This OZ ARMOUR hive arrives built. It has three full-depth boxes in 22mm New Zealand pine, a ventilated lid, a painted solid bottom board and a metal queen excluder. Choose 8 frame or 10 frame, with or without wax-embedded frames. It is a standard Langstroth hive, so everything else you own fits.

22mm Pine, Screws and Nails

Most imported hives use 19mm timber. These walls are 3mm thicker, which insulates the colony better, resists cupping in the sun and keeps the corners tight. A well-kept 22mm box lasts 15 to 20 years or more. Nails hold a box together and screws stop it racking, so the boxes stay square under a full honey super. The exterior has a UV-resistant paint finish in white. The inside is left bare, so the bees are on raw timber.

Ventilated Lid and Metal Excluder

On a hot afternoon a sealed lid traps heat and moisture, and bees leave foraging to fan the entrance. The vented lid lets warm air out the top. The metal queen excluder sits between the brood box and first super, so the queen stays below and the honey frames stay free of brood. Metal stays flat in the heat and lasts for decades.

Running Three Boxes

In spring, run two brood boxes and one super with the excluder above the second brood box, which takes pressure off the queen and helps limit swarming. When the flow is on, drop to one brood box and run two supers above the excluder. Starting with a nuc, use one box for the first month or two and keep the others dry until the bees need them.

8 Frame or 10 Frame, With or Without Frames

Ten-frame is the standard Australian size and holds more honey per box. Eight-frame boxes are lighter when full and suit smaller yards. Match what you already keep, since mixing sizes in one apiary gets annoying. Adding frames supplies wax-embedded frames for all three boxes, 24 for the 8-frame hive or 30 for the 10-frame, giving a new colony a head start drawing comb.

About the Bottom Board

The floor is solid and painted, with no mesh and no beetle tray. If you are in a small hive beetle area, or want to run varroa counts, add the 8/10 frame mesh bottom board with beetle trap, or choose the OZ ARMOUR 3-level hive with the wax-dipped mesh bottom board fitted. Where beetles are not a problem, the solid board is a good floor.

Specifications

• Brand: OZ ARMOUR
• Timber: 22mm New Zealand pine, 3mm thicker than standard 19mm imported hives
• Includes: 3 full-depth boxes, 1 ventilated lid, 1 painted solid bottom board, 1 metal queen excluder
• Build: assembled with screws and nails, exterior painted white with UV-resistant finish, interior unpainted
• Sizes: 8 frame or 10 frame
• Frames: optional, wax-embedded, 24 (8 frame) or 30 (10 frame)
• Hive type: standard Langstroth, compatible with all standard components
• Bottom board: solid, no mesh or beetle tray (mesh bottom board sold separately)

Does the hive arrive assembled and painted?

Yes. The boxes are built with screws and nails and painted white on the outside with a UV-resistant finish. The inside is left unpainted.

What is included?

Three full-depth boxes, one ventilated lid, one painted solid bottom board and one metal queen excluder. Wax-embedded frames are optional.

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 standard Australian size and holds more honey. Eight-frame boxes are lighter. Match what you already keep, as the sizes are not interchangeable.

How many frames come with the frames option?

Wax-embedded frames for all three boxes: 24 for the 8-frame hive or 30 for the 10-frame hive.

Does the bottom board have a mesh floor or beetle tray?

No. It is solid and painted. The 8/10 frame mesh bottom board with beetle trap is sold separately.

Why does the lid have ventilation?

A vented lid lets warm air and moisture out the top, so the colony stays cooler with less fanning at the entrance.

What does the queen excluder do?

It sits between the brood box and first super. Workers pass through but the queen does not, keeping honey frames free of brood.

Is it a standard Langstroth hive?

Yes, so it is compatible with all standard Langstroth components and frames.

Do I need to paint it?

No. The exterior is already painted white with a UV-resistant finish, and the inside is deliberately left bare.