The Honey Super

The bees have done amazing things in the past week.   The hive is full.  It was high time to give them more space.  So the Honey Super has finally made an appearance.
I built the super to hold 2 medium frames.  It sits over a 1.5" hole I made in the center top of the observation hive.  That hole has been plugged until today.

The wood I cut to build the honey super, all cut from "1 inch thick" wood, which is 3/4":
2- 21" x 4.75" one for base, one for the inner cover.
                      The base has a 1.25" hole drilled in the very center, to align
                      with the 1.25" hole in the top of the observation hive.
2- 6.75"x4.75" sides
2- 6"x3" inner sides, for frames to rest on  
               Drill 2 holes in each pair of these (side and inner side),
               and place screen between for ventilation, as for the hive.
4- 19.5" x 1" for the top and bottom bars of the frame to hold the plexiglas in place.
4- 4.75" x 1" for the sides bars of the frame to hold the plexiglas in place
22.5" x 6.5" for top of telescoping outer cover
2- 22.5" x 1.5" side for telescoping outer cover
2- 4.75" x 1.5" ends for telescoping outer cover

Also needed are 2 pieces of plexiglas, 19.25" x 6.5"

Depending on your surroundings, you may want hardware clasps to secure the honey super to the hive.  I secured it by running tape around the junction.  I also did not install a lock on the telescoping cover.

The plexiglas is sandwiched between the 3" wide hive frame supports and the 1" bars that frame the plexiglas.  The wood is glued and nailed.  The plexiglas is not meant to open.  

This little super will be removed by (removing the tape I have around the junction and) sliding 2 flexible plastic cutting boards (or pieces cut from milk jugs) between the hive and the super, and lifting one of the pieces of plastic with the super, while leaving the other with a weight on it to plug the opening.  The super will be taken outside, the cover and inner cover removed, the filled frames removed and new frames installed.  The bees will be shushed by smoker in the direction of the hive opening on the outside of the house. As worker bees, they should have no problem finding their way home.  This part is all theory so far.  

The super is installed and the bees are beginning to investigate.