8 Frame Super Deluxe Beginner Beekeeping Starter Kit
Built for the new beekeeper who wants to harvest honey in year one. This 8-frame super deluxe kit ships fully assembled with two brood chambers, two honey supers, a queen excluder, and all the protective gear and tools you need — paint it, add bees, and you're set up for serious honey production from day one.
Features
- 8-frame screened bottom board with insert (assembled)
- Two 8-frame deep brood chambers (16 deep frames + Acorn triple-waxed plastic foundation)
- Wooden and metal queen excluder
- Two 8-frame medium honey supers (16 medium frames + Acorn triple-waxed plastic foundation)
- Inner cover and telescoping outer cover (heavy-duty, weather-resistant)
- Reversible wooden entrance feeder + entrance reducer
- Small stainless steel smoker with leather bellows
- Stainless steel hive tool
- Bee brush
- Custom beekeeping jacket with attached veil (choose your size at checkout)
- Goatskin elbow-length protective gloves (choose your size at checkout)
- Beekeeping For Dummies (latest edition)
How it works in real life
The standard 8 Frame Beginner kit gets you a single brood chamber and one honey super, which means most first-year colonies fill it and stall while you scramble to add capacity. This super deluxe kit solves that problem upfront. Two brood chambers give your colony room to build to full strength through their first summer. The queen excluder keeps her in the brood chambers so the honey supers stay clean for harvest. Two medium supers mean enough comb space for a real first-year honey crop in a good nectar flow. Everything ships assembled — you just paint the exterior and prepare for your bees.
Before you order
Pick your jacket and glove sizes at checkout. Get this right the first time — protective gear that doesn't fit well makes inspections miserable.
Pairs Well With
- A 3-lb package of bees with a marked queen (sold separately, in season)
- Bee Lively Pollen Patty for early colony build-up
- Wooden Pollen Trap (fits 8 and 10 frame hives) for harvesting pollen later in the season
- Exterior latex paint for the woodenware
- A local beekeeping association membership — we always recommend joining
Specifications
- Hive configuration: 8-frame Langstroth (double deep + double medium)
- Brood chambers: 2 deeps
- Honey supers: 2 mediums
- Queen excluder: wood-bound metal
- Foundation: Acorn triple-waxed plastic
- Frames included: 16 deep + 16 medium (32 total)
- Smoker: small, stainless steel with leather bellows
- Gloves: goatskin, elbow-length
- Book: Beekeeping For Dummies (current edition)
- Shipping weight: 65 lbs
- Shipping dimensions: 26 × 26 × 40 in
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this kit have two brood chambers and two honey supers?
A healthy colony needs roughly two deep boxes of comb to build to full strength and overwinter well. Most beginner kits ship with one, which means new beekeepers scramble to add capacity right when their colony is hitting its stride. Starting with two avoids that bottleneck and gives you a better shot at a real first-year honey crop.
What does the queen excluder do?
It sits between your brood chambers and your honey supers and keeps the queen out of the supers, so the comb up top stays free of brood and is clean to harvest. The slots are large enough for workers but small enough that the queen can't fit through.
Why pick the 8 Frame Super Deluxe instead of the 10 Frame Deluxe?
Mostly weight. 8-frame boxes are about 20% lighter than 10-frame at the same height. A full 10-frame medium honey super weighs around 50 lbs; the 8-frame version is closer to 40. If your back matters, or you're managing the hive solo, 8 frame is easier. If maximum capacity matters more than weight, the 10 Frame Deluxe is the bigger setup.
Does this kit come with bees?
No. Bees are sold separately and only available in spring — typically March through May in South Carolina. Order your kit well ahead so you have time to paint and set it up before bees arrive.
Can a beginner really manage two brood chambers and two supers in year one?
Yes. You don't run the colony all at once — you add boxes as the bees build up. Starting with the capacity already on hand just means you're not waiting on a shipment when your hive is ready to expand. Most colonies don't fill all four boxes their first year, but you have room when they do.
