Although it didn’t feel like a winter day today, I spent the morning putting together my new hive. Based on last year’s experience with Large Marge, I bought six medium supers for the second hive. Considering last year was an exceptional year for weather and rainfall here in Austin, I think having six supers will be more than enough for a new hive starting out this spring.
I bought unassembled supers this year to save on cost and shipping. They are easy to put together with some wood glue and nails, but it is always important to assemble them soon after they arrive so the pieces do not warp.
Here is a picture of the finished hive with only three supers on. I still need to paint and level out the ground at the 2nd hive location, but I’ve knocked out the big task of putting it all together.
Urban Beekeeping in Austin, Texas 