THE FAT BEE MAN

BEE HIVE MITE

TREATMENT FRAME

Make the Fat Bee Man

Bee Hive Mite Treatment Frame

Don Kuchenmeister

The Fat Bee Man

BEE HIVE MITE

TREATMENT FRAME

Make the Fat Bee Man

Bee Hive Mite Treatment Frame

THE FAT BEE MANBee Hive Mite Treatment Frame

Thank you for your interest in Bee KeepingThis plan contains all the dimensions and details needed to make your own Bee Hive Mite

Treatment Frame. This plan is o!ered due to the many requests I have had over the years to

share my methods with others who are interested in natural beekeeping.

All my woodenware and equipment is designed for commercial use and made using

techniques and joinery methods that have proven themselves over the past 50 years.

The plan is presented in pictorial format with dimensions noted right on the pieces as

needed. This will give even a novice woodworker all the information needed to complete a

feeder. Basic woodworking skills are all you need to make the feeder. If you want to

purchase a finished piece, they can be found at my website -

www.DixieBeeSupply.com . Supply is limited.

I wish you the best of luck. Please email me through my

website if you have questions or suggestions to improve the

product or plans or just to talk bees.

Don“The Fat Bee Man”

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 2

The Bee Hive Treatment Frame

The Bee Hive Treatment Frame is a modified standard deep frame. Other treatment frames

are available and mine is just a result of my own experiences learning what works and what

does not. This project is made from purchased frame parts. It is usually cheaper to buy

unassembled frames from major bee keeping supply houses than make your own! I have

done both over the years. Using purchased precut parts makes this a very easy project and assures that it fits nicely inside standard hive boxes. Additional detail is provided to assist

you if you make the frame from scratch.

A full Cut List is provided for the frame.

Staples are used for all joinery. I make so much equipment that I have invested in air nailer

to speed assembly but you can just as easily use hammer and nails.

Please note that no glue of any kind is used in any woodenware I construct. I have boxes in

my yard constructed with no glue that are as solid today as the day they were made. Paint

them and they will last. I try

hard not to introduce

anything into a hive that may interfere with the bees

natural activities. This is all

part of natural beekeeping.

Build the Bee Hive Treatment Frame:

Pictured are all the parts

needed for the project. You

will need all parts from one

unassembled deep-box frame and the top board from a

second frame. Remove the

cleat pieces from both top

boards prior to assembly. The cleats are shown on the top of the picture above. You will

need 5 cleats for the project as shown at the bottom the the page. Each cleat is 17” in length.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 3

Bee Hive Treatment Frame Cut ListP I E C E L E N G T H H E I G H T /

W I D T HT H I C K N E S S N U M B E R

A - Cleats

17” 3/8” 1/8” 5

B - Side Pieceses

9 1/8” top = 1 3/8” 3/8” 2

bottom = 1 1/8”

C - Top Bar

19” 1” 1/2” 1

D - Mid Bar (a modified (a modified Top Bar)Top Bar)

17” 1” 1/2” 1

E - Bottom Barom Bar

17 3/4” 5/8” 3/8” 1

Screen (nylon or metalnylon or metal)

17” approx 1 1/2” 1/16 openings 1

Cover Piece for Hole on Top Cover Piece for Hole on Top

1 3/4” 1” thin metal 1

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 4

1 3/4” 1” thin metal 1

Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com

Start with the Top Bar

Drill a 3/4” hole in the center of the top bar piece.

Cut a piece of metal large enough to cover

the hole and attach it on one side with a

thumb tack. You can also put a cork in the

hole. I have also tried stapling it making sure that one

staple prong goes through the metal.

The metal slides over the hole to keep the treatments in the chamber.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 5

re that one

staple prong goes through the metal.

Next assemble the

outside frame.

This is basically the same as

making any frame. Use staples or nails to secure.

Now cut the other top bar piece at each end leaving a

length of 17”. It should fit inside the side pieces. Locate

it 2” below the top bar and nail it in place.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 6

as

Attach the

screening.

To keep the treatments

separate from

the bees, a

screen is

attached to the assembly. The

screen is 1/16”

hardware cloth

or nylon screen.

Staple the screen and then staple a cleat bar to the

bottom and then the top.

Repeat this on the other side of the

frame.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 7

e

th

n.

aple the screen and then staple a cleat bar to the

bottom and then the top.

Repeat this on the other side of the

ame.

Here is a finished frame with a cork stopper.

This can be trimmed for clearance

as needed.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 8

Here is a finished frame with a cork stopper.

This can be trimmed for clearance

as needed.

Insert Foundation

The lower part of the frame is still available for the bees. Foundation is inserted in the usual

way. It is just 2” shorter than normal. The 5th cleat bar is used to secure the foundation.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 9

YOU ARE DONE!

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 10

How to use your new FatBeeMan Beehive Treatment Frame

The following table provides a few common treatments used in this frame.

To Treat for Use Amount When

Trachea & Varroa Mites

Thymol crystals 1 tsp crystals Once per month

Trachea Mites also this treatment chases small hive beetles out but does not kill them

Menthol crystals 1 tsp crystals Once per month

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 11

Making parts from scratch

If you decide to build the frame

from your own wood, rather than

modifying purchased frame parts,

this picture will help you with some

of the more complicated cuts. Print the page and trace the piece

directly onto your roughed out

wood that is the correct thickness.

B. Side piece for Deep Frame.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 12

Making parts from scratch

If you decide to build the frame

from your own wood, rather than

modifying purchased frame parts,

this picture will help you with some

of the more complicated cuts. Printthe page and trace the piece

directly onto your roughed out

wood that is the correct thickness.

B. Side piece for Deep Frame.

2012 Don Kuchenmeister www.DixieBeeSupply.com 12