Building my own boxes, still enthusiastic

[harvey]

Ok so it is year two with bee's  I am making swarm traps right now and thought it would be nice to be able to transition them right into hives if a swarm calls it home.  I fired up the table saw and visited home depot for some 1x12's.  Two eight foot pieces made two and a half boxes minus the bottom and tops.  I measured a langsworth deep and built them to that size.  Now I don't do dado work so I just glued and screwed them together.  I did router the grove for the frames and also in one end cut out an entrance about four inches wide by just over 3/8's inch.  I think they turned out pretty good.  I am going to put one old drawn comb in each swarm trap and then frames with a wedge to fill the boxes.  I ordered a package of five swarm lures from Dadent.  I am now off to home depot to see about getting some paint.  A friend told me to ask for mis tints.  5 bucks a gallon!  Shoot I think my boxes will be as nice as a dadent hive box that costs a whole lot more cept mine wont be dadoed together.  I think for a hobbiest they will be plenty strong though.  Now I just need to figure out how to build my own frames.  And wish me luck on attracting a couple of swarms.  I am going to sit the boxes on the edge of the woods and mount them on a ten foot 2x4.  then strap them to a tree.  Should be easy to take down from the ground as long as I don't let them sit there till they are full of honey!  

[MacfromNS]

Sounds like you got her under control. Good luck with the swarms.

[AllenF]

Making the equipment is part of the fun of beekeeping.