Howto: Four NUCS from a single sheet of plywood 

Thanks Randy, i appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

Awesome Stephen! How did the build go?

Hey man thanks! Let me know how it goes and if you run into trouble just ask.

exactly..though if you dip these in parafin wax, they will literally last for years and years...

@@FunnyBugBeesandWoodWorks any risk of the ply delaminating at those temps? Not sure what temp is safe with WBP ply (exterior grade)

Thanks Dan!

your welcome Andrew

Thanks Dadu!

Welcome 😊

So glad!

i use an OA vaporizer on my larger hives. For my nucs with these hole cut rather than the 3/4" opening you speak of i use a propane powered fogger. It has a small nozzle and I can put the nozzle right in the opening and give it three puffs and im done.

Murika! :)

Thanks Shamanic!

thanks jerry

You are welcome!

Thanks Daniel, we appreciate it!

Our pleasure!

no its 4-ply BC Sanded grade playwood. Runs about $22-24 per sheet. I actually have found out there is enough cut off if you keep tolerances tight to get telescoping lids out of the same sheet!

Yes, they make excellent swarm traps. To convert them, take a cheap 18" piece of 2x4 and bolt it from the inside of the NUC to the outside, then drill a 1" hole 2" from the top of that 2x4 then use that vertical piece of 2x4 to hang it on a nail in a tree 10 feet off the ground and with several sprays of a product I use called "Swarm Commander" inside it and hang them all over the place. I catch probably 6 swarms each year for very minimal effort. If you need swarm comander, which I swear by you can find it here: www.funnybugbees.com/queens-bees-swarms/swarms/swarm-lures/

Picture of the swarm trap maybe? I just made 4 NUCs from your tutorial. Do you mean put the 2×4 on the back of the NUC? Bottoms flush? Or tops?

Thanks Steve.

Thanks!

The plans call for 1/2" ply

Greg, Thanks a ton man.

yes, its actually an option on the ones we sell. We use a 1" strip of the plywood around the lid.

its takes standard 9 1/8" deep Langstroth style frames.

we can do custom nuc boxes, call us toll free at 833-FUN-E-BUG

well the plywood is what makes it a "commercially viable NUC". When every dollar of profit counts when selling NUCS this is the way to go.

Understood

3-8 years which works out about $1 per Nuc per year. Cost wise, better value than pine. My pine last 8-12 years and cost $20+

Titebond III which is what i recommend is non-toxic and contains no formaldehyde. You can download the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for it here: www.highlandwoodworking.com/msds/165063-TitebondIII-16oz.pdf

Yes, they are 9" wide 5 frame nucs. So 1/4" narrower than a standard langstroth NUC, but the same inside dimensions. The outside dimension is different due to different thickness of stock.

they are 9" wide 5 frame nucs...thanks for the sub!!

ya i had miss-measured and cut one of the front panels..this happens to be the one i grabbed. No one is perfect, measure twice, cut once right? I am after all only human :P

Amen, brother! I just got a chuckle out of the look on your face. Excellent video, keep them coming!

this would defeat the purp[ose of the video, specifically how to build "commercial grade" NUCS. If you are building a small number of nucs for personal use, then, by all means, use another material. I use 3/4 white pine for our non-commercial grade NUCS for our customers.

Ok, if you say so.

Yes, I hold fast to my statement. "commercial grade" means good for a season, not for prolonged use. The folks interested in commercials grade nucs are looking for cheap but effective NUCS they can use for a season or two. If you are selling nucs, you typically make them up the spring you do the queen grafting in, and therefore sell them the year they are constructed, and they get transferred to standard hive boxes by the end user shortly after. Making them out of plywood provides a cost effective method of moving the product you are really selling (queens) to the end user without spending an arm and a leg on the housing for afore mentioned queen.

If you say so. Personally, if I'm going to have to take time and effort to build my own woodenware, I'm going to use more reliable material. If I want something cheap for a season's use or transfer sale of nucs, I'll use cardboard or PVC. My time is worth way too much, I can't build even the 1/4 ply boxes as cheaply as the cardboard or PVC boxes.

I've checked prices on cardboard NUC boxes and they average $8. If you make four of these from one sheet of ply they cost $5 each, or a savings of $12 for four of them vs the cardboard ones, and they also will last longer, can be used as swarm traps for a couple of seasons, etc. The time and effort are negligible as it takes me literally 1 hour to make four of these. Of course, your mileage will vary, and you must do whats best for you. Then again if this video isn't for you then I understand.

yes. all measurements are what the final piece of wood should come out as. the "kerf" (thickness of the blade" is accounted for in the cut list I have.

this is incorrect. #8 mesh has an average aperture size of 0.0350 inches or 2.2mm which is smaller than an adult hive beetle which are 3.2 mm across the carapace. The correct wire cloth to use for hive beetle traps is #6-041 which has an average aperture size of 3.2mm. Sure some hive beetles will still be able to be trapped using #8 (but very few), #6-041 is far more effective as it is the exact size of a small hive beetle...you can see and order this product here: www.funnybugbees.com/the-bee-shop/beekeeping-supplies/hardware

Doesn't really matter about the mesh size. The beetles can walk right in the front door.

true, but this is why we run Freeman style small hive beetle traps on all our hives...they walk in...and immediately are drowned, and we lose no bees. The ones that dont walk right in are wrangled by guard bees and driven down into the same trap. You can look in my videos I have two videos on this, one on how to build them and one on checking a newly installed trap after 24 hours.

because 3/4" plywood is $34 a sheet and 15/32" is $17.00 :) and these are made to be inexpensive.

And lighter. I just wonder if they warp in time.

here they are 4' x 8' which is 48" x 96" which is 1219.2mm x 2438.4mm (i think :) )

Thanks Houston!

You are welcome Alice!

:)

The distance from the bottom of the top bar of the frame, to the bottom of the frame bottom bar is 8 5/8". The fronts/rears of the NUC are 9 1/2" high. This means from the floor of the NUC to the bottom of the frame is 7/8".

they take standard langstroth deep frames.

no, any time you alter the thickness of your stock in any project, its going to alter your dimensions. For instance, you would need yo make the top and bottoms of this design 1/2" wider to compensate for the material thickness, but you would also need other modifications to the design as well. these are easy to figure out you just need to sit down with paper and run it through your brain before starting. Any dimensions which would be caused to change should be compensated.

well it doesnt matter what size stock you use, just always remember the inside dimensions and you can do anything. The inside dimensions are the same as a standard 5-frame NUC, so 7.5" x 18 3/8" (below the cleat i.e. wall-wall) or 19 1/8 from inside cleat to inside cleat (the frame rest)......Let me get a pencil here and write it down and ill post the dimensions for you in a few minutes after verifying them. ok here goes, editing comment, verified dimensions... Bottom: 20" x 9" Sides: 19 1/8" x 10 1/4" top: 22" x 9 1/2" Fronts/Backs: 7 1/2" x 9 1/2" Large cleats: 9" x 2" small cleats: 9" x 3/4" Hope that helps Dadu...

thanks a lot

they are made to hold up a season or two with just the first coat of paint. This will vary depending on your humidity level etc. I use them as swarm traps and to sell NUCS in. I live in the south and we have 100% humidity for about half the year, they hold up fine for me. Besides at the price point, they dont need to hold up for too long to get your bang out of it for any bucks you put in ;)

Funny Bug Bees and Wood Works I'm down around Houston humidity was my concern also. I think it's a great video and price for the build. Thank you so much for your videos.

if humidity is the concern and you want them to really last for several years, then just paint the outside, then dip the whole thing in wax (parafin or bees) and they will last literally many years.

Funny Bug Bees and Wood Works Thank you so much for your videos. What a great idea dipping them in wax. Do you have a video showing this process yet?

Sure thing clayton, anytime! And thanks for watching!

Im glad you found the video useful. Ill try to take a look at the video. If you have any questions though, feel free to use the contact us form on our website at www.funnybugbees.com and ill make sure to reply.

They make 5/8 brads

the final cut off from the end of the plywood is about 8 inches wide, so yes there is plenty to make the "bottom" strip as wide as you need. Though standard NUCS are 9" and some people make them 9 1/4" but either way there is plenty of room. Though why you would want to make them wide and mess up bee space is beyond me, unless of course you are talking about making them like 6 frame size or something.

8.5" W x 9 5/8" H x 19 1/8" frame rest to frame rest. Fits standard langstroth deep frames.

Yes Brian, you caught uis right in the middle of redoing the website with a new shopping cart system. I updated the link in that video last night, it should work now. Best Regards!

yes you can see them on our website here: www.funnybugbees.com/complete-hive-kits/5-frame-nuc-kits/

Hey peewee, what is a good one?

:)

I wear my personal defense sidearm everywhere, not just in my shop.