The Big Hive Build event - 6th April 2013.

Will this cold weather ever end (and then give way to April showers and spring storms!!)? Sitting at home here, in front of a roaring log burner at noon for goodness sake, my mind is casting forward to next week's big event - the hive build.

So far we have requests for a total of four hives as far as I'm aware - with Sarah from Melbourne asking for the fourth yesterday. I've started to assemble 4 foot side panels from 20mm tongue and groove board that used to be the roof of a neighbours shed. Won't be pretty without a coat of paint but near no cost. I should have enough for the side panels of all 4 hives. I'll then do an audit for the end panels and follower boards. Does anyone have suitable gash timber for 16 legs each up to 40 inches long? I'll pop over to Screwfix next week for BZP M8 threaded coach bolts (£11.29), BZP M8 nuts (£3.32 for 100 nylocs!!) and large flat M8 BZP washers (£0.73 for pack of 10 and each hive uses 8, so 4 packs needed so far).

So along with sustenance, power, wear on the tools, transporting materials, etc I don't think that a nominal charge of £20 to £25 per hive would be unreasonable, especially as some components of the hives will have been preassembled and drilled (I'll be using 19mm entrance holes as these fit trimmed wine bottle corks - I don't drink enough champagne or get invited to the right parties to have larger corks floating around).

The other areas to consider are top bars, hive bottoms (solid - shallow or deep, mesh or open), and roofing. If I can make the space I can rip down top bars from suitable boarding but I may have to actually buy this unless someone has some old floor joists, off cuts or something similar I can use, ideally 17 inches long or more.

Any thoughts, comments or offers on any of this would be helpful as we don't have much time after Wednesday's meeting to get some of this done. Please use the comments below.

Happy Easter to you all,

Tim.