Honey box (An extra box added to a native bee hive for honey collection)

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Ever wanted to collect a little bit of honey from your native bee nest? Now you can safely!!! We have developed “the Honey Box” for stingless bees. It is simply a third box which fits on top of your existing hive. It has a capacity of approximately 1.5 kilograms. It is designed for our box type, but we can modify for other designs. We just need to know the plan view measurements. The problem with current honey harvesting techniques is the constant threat of hover fly infestation. The spilt honey will cause the hover fly (wasp mimicking fly) to infest your hive with deadly maggots.  Our design allows honey to be taken without affecting the main nest structure. Only add the honey box when the existing nest is near full. Add the box on a morning with a temperature above 18C. Make sure that the weather will remain fine and warm. Do not add during Autumn and Winter.

Step 1 Put an extra screw through the PVC pipe into the middle box as shown. Your hive may have a long screw this area already.

Step 2 Remove the existing lid and install the loose plywood baffle. Push down firmly.

Step 3 Install the honey box with plywood down.

Step 4 Prepare the lid by scraping back the resin to fit inside the new box. If there is a lot of nest material attached, do not worry. Leave it there. Just push it in from the sides about 50mm so that the lid fits on the thicker honey box. Use a spatula or wide chisel.