The cover has screened vent/feeder holes for each nuc away from the entrance to reduce the chances of robbing. A ratchet strap is used to hold the whole thing together when moving. A sheet of coroplast is placed over the cover for protection when out in the field.

The last photo shows a stack of 17 knocked down double nucs (34 nucs total) with an assembled deep in front for comparison. Each double nuc weighs 12.5 pounds without frames.

Special Thanks to Jim Hensel for sharing this idea, photos, and directions.

Background: I am making my own hive boxes. I have researched handles and the choices are as follows:

1. Cleat
2. Dado slot
3. Canoe shaped routed pocket

But I wanted something more. I noticed that many “store bought” boxes have a routed pocket, but the bottom side is sloped.

I live where it rains a lot and this sloped bottom handle seemed to avoid water pooling at the bottom of the slot… I WANTED THIS STYLE HANDLE.

Here is my approximation.

1. This uses a router and a 14 degree dovetail bit. Buy the ¾” one if you have to buy one although the ½” one will do.
2. It turns out that to make a pocket that is 1 ½” tall and 3/8” deep at the top and flush at the bottom is a 14 degree angle. And the most common dovetail bit is a 14 degree bit. Go figure.
3. Here is the finished jig:
   
   
   The idea is to have the router on an angle to the surface of the wood. Using a 14 degree slope on the jig and a 14 degree bit means that the cut at the top of the pocket will be perpendicular to the surface. That is, the two 14’s cancel each other out so you get a nice grip at the top of the pocket.
4. Start with a scrap of plywood. I would suggest 3/8” or ¼”. I used 1/2 “and it made the distance the bit has to plunge too deep and the bit would barely make it. If the plywood and the OSB scrap were both ¼”, the whole system would work better.
5. Grab some 3/8” by ¾” scraps to use as cleats. At a corner of the plywood set two cleats in place and the router. Like this. Make a mark on the plywood at the very center of the router – center of the bit.
6. Remove cleats and router from plywood. Using a square, make a line both directions from that point. The measure up 1 ½ inches and make another line. As to the width of the pocket, I make mine comfortable for my large GLOVED hands. Just lay your hand down and make a mark. Draw a vertical line through this mark. You should now have a rectangular box drawn on the page. Place the router over the three other points and draw and line around the outside of the router base. Using the square, you should be able to draw two lines that just touch the arc lines. You now have a box described by the two cleats and these lines. But you want to create room to nail on cleats along these lines so draw another line ¾” outside these two lines. Should look something like this (I still need to make room for the cleats along the two lines. Just lay cleats adjacent to the outside of these lines and make another line. Cut the plywood along these outer lines.

7. Cut the base plywood to 18 ¼” by 8”. Glue and nail a cleat to on long side (not to the edge, but to one side along one edge. This will make a fence to align your box piece.

8. Mark 8 ¼” from one edge and make a mark on the edge that has the cleat.
9. Make two 14 degree wedges. I use a tapering jig, but the adjustable ‘T’ pusher on the table saw should be close enough.

10. Assemble the top and the wedges with glue and nails. Attach cleats at outer edge of the top of the plywood. These cleats are the boundary for the router.

11. Attach to base. Align the center-line of this wedge piece to the 8 ¼” line, flush with the edge of the lower piece (cleated side is down, but along that same edge. Again the thinner the base, the easier it is to make the router bit work.
12. Plunge route set to about ½” the plywood, then the OSB and finally the box part which is clamped below the OSB. Align the right edge of the OSB with the edge of the side of a hive box for a centered handle. Align to the left for an end box part.

13. Lessons learned: Use thinner plywood and OSB. I used a Freud ½” collet Bit.

Overview

Foundation & Wiring

Eyelets & Assembly

Jigs & Air Nailers

All you need is a scrap board, 2 frame spacers and a cheap handle. I know, it looks like a fancy handle, but it was the cheapest one Lowe’s had. It was in the “clearance” pile and was less than $1.
Six frame nails and two screws, a wa-la! a $2 frame spacing tool.

I start by cutting the side bars and top bars in half on a band saw. By using split bottom frames, I don’t need to cut the bottom bars. I then assemble them like I would a normal frame. By making a loop around the bottom bars with embedding wire creates the hinge. I put one on each end. I then string 3 rows of embedding wire on the outside of each side of the frame and hold it with staples.

The principle is actually quite simple. It consists of a 5 gallon bucket of water with a tin can “log roll”. A simple ramp allows the mouse to climb up to the top of the bucket and get onto the peanut butter baited tin cans. Once on the cans, it is just a matter of time before the cans roll and the mouse falls into the bucket and drowns. Since the cans just roll, there is no need to reset, so it is always ready for the next mouse.

Here are a set of simple step by step instructions to make it happen.
Click any image to see a larger version

Step 1: Gather the parts and tools you will need. An old 5 gallon bucket. A metal coat hanger. Two vegetable or soup cans. Duct tape. Small piece of wood. A drill with a drill bit that is slightly larger than the diameter of the coat hanger wire. Wire cutters. A tape measure. A marking pen.
Step 2: Mark the center of the un-opened ends of the two cans with the marking pen. The closer you are to the center, the better the trap will work.
Step 3: Drill a hole at the marks made on the cans.
Step 4: Drill two holes in the bucket, just above the handle bosses. Depending on the size of the cans used, you may need to adjust the height of the holes in the bucket. You want the top of the cans to be close to the top of the bucket, but not higher.
Step 5: Lay the coat hanger across the bucket. Using the wire cutters, cut the bottom out of the coat hanger leaving at least an inch overhang on each side.
Step 6: Make a 90 degree bend, about 1/2 inch in length, at one end of the wire.
Step 7: Thead the straight end of the wire through one of the holes in the bucket. Thread the wire through the hole in the bottom of one of the cans and out through the open end of the can.
Step 8: Feed the wire through the open end of the second can and then thread it out through the hole in the bottom.
Step 9: Thread the wire out through the second hole in the bucket.
Step 10: With the bent end of the wire pushed against the bucket, trim the straight end so that 1 inch extends out of the bucket.
Step 11: Bend the straight end of the wire as close to the bucket as possible.
Step 12: Align the open ends of the two cans and duct tape them together.
Step 13: Drill a hole centered in the wood about 1/2 inch from the end.
Step 14: Cut one of the bent ends off the left over coat hanger.
Step 15: Bend it into the shape shown in the photo.
Step 16: Insert the straight end of the wire into the hole in the wood.
Step 17: Bend the wire over to hold it into the wood.
Step 18: Place the hook end over the edge of the bucket in line with the cans.
Step 19: Smear a little peanut butter around the duct tape as bait.
Step 20: Fill the bucket with 6 inches of water and you’re ready to catch some mice.

Tips:

1. If using the trap in freezing weather, use windshield washer fluid instead of water.
2. If you have to leave the trap for an extend period, like a weekend home, pour enough vegetable oil into the water to make a layer of oil above the water. The oil will act as a barrier and reduce the smell of the decaying mice.

If you have any other tips, let me know and I will add them.

Thanks to Blake for his assistance documenting this How-To:

1. Ease in locating the queen during inspections.
2. Confirm the hive hasn’t swarmed.
3. Confirm the queen hasn’t been superseded. This can be very important in areas that have Africanized honeybees.

Unfortunately, many folks don’t have marked queens. Whether it not being an option when the purchased their queens, not wanting to pay the extra money to have it done, or they have raised their own queens.

For those that realize the benefit of having marked queens and would like to mark their queens, I have included a short demonstration video below.