Getting ready for bees!

Hello everyone.  I've been a busy little bee (hee hee) getting ready for my ladies to show up.  Dad has been a great help, as his wood working skills are WAY better than mine!  Here are some pictures of my progress thus far.

 Dad and I put together two medium honey supers.  These go on top of the deep boxes that the bees lay eggs in and store food for themselves.

 This is the screened bottom board.  The hive bodies sit on this, and it is screened for ventilation, and also for mite control, though I'm hoping my girls don't even have to worry about them.

 I painted the bottom board (soon the whole hive will be painted) a very soft green (though it doesn't translate very well in the picture).

 I've been practicing with the smoker (fuel types and different smoke temperatures) and I think I finally found a winning combination.  I'll have to try it again this week to make sure.  Those bellows sure pump up the flames.

 There's the nice cool smoke that will calm the ladies down.

 Just a goofy little aside.  I absolutely love my dad's plow truck.  It barely runs, and has no brakes, but it does its job.  However, for the rest of the year, if just sits next to my dad's workshop, and somehow, a maple tree seed landed in the back...and it's GROWING!  Last year it had a good little crop of leaves on it, and they all turned color in the fall.  I'm curious to see how big it will get. Hahaha.