First attempt at a Nuc - paint or stain?

[youngyoungs]

Armed with a review of H Pete's videos, and lots of wisdom from this site, I set out yesterday and made myself a nuc with a "sacrificial solid bottom" and an eke from a piece of ply 6 x 2. A bit of skip diving and I made a crown board as well! The nuc is not pretty (in comparison to some of the other photos I've seen), not all of the joints are tight, and my cutting is hardly straight - but its a start towards getting my own bees next year. Having begged some roofing felt from a friend, I now need to finish them off. What should I put on the outside, and inside to seal the job?

 

[beeboybee]

nothing on the inside.....
"garden shades" or "Ducks Back" are both my favourite waterproofer.
both available in many colours.

 

[Brian Bush]

Use an expanding waterproof glue to joint the timber. This ensures any little mistakes in cutting are sealed.

 

[betterbee]

diy hive construction

2010 made up some nucs in a hurry for mature queen cells,nucs which were cobbled together with scrap timber plastic bin bag for roof and more than 1 entrance did just as well as bought in nucs.

 

[youngyoungs]

Use an expanding waterproof glue to joint the timber. This ensures any little mistakes in cutting are sealed.

Oops - didn't use any glue, so there are a number of "little mistakes" where you can see daylight through the joint. Should I take it apart and redo it?

 

[Hombre]

Use fillits of glue to rectify the matter without taking it apart. I'm sure you will get it all right on the next one.

 

[kermit]

Poor a bit of waterproof PVA into the gaps. Then paint with Garden Shades. Different coloured brood boxes make it easier than numbering. However, you do get a bit limited if the bug bites... now I must check the stores in the blue and cream candy striped hive.

 

[youngyoungs]

Took my dad (advisor!) with me to the DIY store. Bought external wood glue in a gun and DucksBack (what big tins they are). Then in the dark, rather than watching "Strictly", I unscrewed most of the joints, squirted in the glue, then put the Nuc back together. Polished off with a slap of paint. Will look tomorrow to see what a disaster I've made.



I'm going to need to make a lot of things, if I am ever going to get through 1 tin of DucksBack - never mind paint each one different colours. Need to look for my next sheet of ply.......(Perhaps I should put it on my Christmas List??)

 

[drstitson]

"Different coloured brood boxes make it easier than numbering. However, you do get a bit limited if the bug bites... now I must check the stores in the blue and cream candy striped hive."

not at all - i use tester pots of homebase exterior masonry paint for my poly hives/nucs. paint roofs & floors, 2 sides and 2 end panels differently and you have much more flexibility.

eg my base setup includes:

terracotta
green
cream
terracotta & cream
cream & terracotta
green & cream
cream & green

and that is without faffing with roofs and floors. or mixing terracotta and green.

 

[For want of a better word]

I must be a bit old fashioned as I use a stencil with numbers and an indelible pen, and then keep a file of the number!

Given 20 gallon drum of grass green floor paint... has given a beautiful finish of a waterproof paint job to an out apiary hive stand... I wonder if it would do for painting the outsided of ply and poly nucs?

 

[drstitson]

can the bees read the stencilled numbers? the colours are for both me AND the girls!!!!!

 

[For want of a better word]

can the bees read the stencilled numbers? the colours are for both me AND the girls!!!!!

BIG STENCILED NUMBERS IN LOTS OF COLOURS!


​

 

[Tony Steer]

I'm new to this and so glad I've read this thread. I want to build my own hives from a satisfaction point of view and all the advice seems to be its difficult to do!!!

But I'm fairly confident to have a go now!

 

[oliver90owner]

all the advice seems to be its difficult to do!!!

But I'm fairly confident to have a go now!

Welcome to the forum.

They are certainly not 'difficult'. Just very simple woodworking. Some machines certainly make the job even more simple, but they could be made using entirely manual tools as long as the drawings are adhered to and the worker has the skill to do it sensibly (must finish with boxes to the dimensions stated and they must be square and 'stackable' without gaps between the boxes).

Personally, I've never found it worthwhile to make a brood box. Cedar cut to size ready to assemble with no problems of checking dimensions is so easy and not time consuming. All of mine (I think) were bought in as seconds, and most were deeps to which I have added an eke. I do have about ten supers 'in the pipeline'. Making in multiples of, say, ten is a far better idea.

If I were to have one power tool, the obvious choice would be a table saw. Thinking about the job a little more closely, I would change that to a router - but only because one can do so many more operations with a router, so it could be used for a multitude of other jobs - even though it may not be the most efficient tool for this particular purpose (and I would not be making the frames that way!).

But, I am like some others on here - power tools include various saws, planer/thicknessers, routers, screwdriver/drills and even nail guns. Choice of hive type can make a big difference to the amount of efffort required.

Like others on here, I am now buying/trying plastic hives, as an alternative material. I say 'plastic' because someone will remind me I have a beehaus as well as expanded polystyrene (EPS) units around the place. I still think I may make floors and roofs for the EPS ones, all the same.

Remember the dimensions are all important, to avoid bee related problems when in use! Oh, and make a 'deep' roof while you are at it. You will not regret it, if you do.

Regards, RAB

 

[kermit]

all the advice seems to be its difficult to do!!!

It's not that hard at all. There are quite a few quick ways to make your life easier - like letting the woodyard cut your ply. As RAB says, just follow the plans implicitly. Both my hives are made from ply by my own hand. I would also agree with RAB that a router is the most useful power tool and this is needed just to make the top and bottom side rails. Apart from that it's all quite simple stuff.