Here is a great video on frames and frame assy - CLICK HERE

The Hive Stand
The Bottom Board
The Hive Bodies
The Medium or Small Honey Supers
The Inner Cover
The Top Cover

The Hive Stand.
The hive stand is the base of your hive the better stands are made of cedar or even plastic to better last the wet conditions in our area. If using a hive stand made of pine be sure to give a good coat of paint or it will not last long. The front of the stand can either have a slope (as shown) or flat landing board. It is still a good idea to place your stand on cement blocks or a pallet to raise it 6-8" off the ground.

The Bottom Board.
The bottom board has seen some significant changes over the last few years. The common style is the reversable bottom board which allows you to change the bottom entrance from 3/8 to 3/4". When using the solid style bottom board it is important to have a slight forward tilt on your hive or water can collect in the bottom which is not good for the hive
Another style is the screened bottom board, which are being used as part of the hive IPM

The Hive Bodies.
The hive body is where your bees will live(also called deeps), most hives start out with one deep and as the colony grows will expand to two deeps.The hive body holds the frames that the bees build comb on to raise brood and store honey and pollen

The Medium or Small Honey Supers.
This is where your bees will store your honey crop, the medium is the common size and is also known as a western and is 6 5/8 deep. The shallow is 5 11/16. Which size you use is up to you also the number you need will depend on how much honey your bees produce. The honey super holds the frames that bees build comb on to store honey.

The Inner Cover.
Protective inner cover, for use under telescoping cover. Allows easy removal of telescoping cover, and provides additional ventilation space above frames.

The Top Cover.
This telescoping cover "telescopes" over the inner cover and hive body to give increased weather protection compared to a standard wooden migratory cover.
Telescoping cover Migratory cover

The Queen Excluder.
The queen excluder is used to prevent the queen from laying eggs in the honey super. They can be made from plastic, all metal or metal with a wooden surround, as shown.

Feeders.
Feeders come in several styles, the entrance feeder is just that, it fits on the landing board and the bees come down to it to feed, these should not be used in cold weather. The frame feeder sits inside the hive body in place of a frame and the hive top feeder sits on top of the hive under the cover. Hive top feeders come in many styles.

Hive tools.
The tools used to work on your hive are pretty simple, The "hive tool" used to pry boxes apart, loosen frames and remove burr comb also comes in a couple of styles but all do the same work. The bee brush is a soft and gentle brush used to move bees off frames. The smoker is your main tool for keeping the bees calm when working them, but use it sparingly. Smokers come in two basic sizes,  4X7 & 4X10 you may want to consider getting the larger smoker, nothing more annoying than your smoker going out right when you need it most.

Hive tools,  Bee Brush    smoker  

These are your basic tools that you will need, other tools that you can get will depend on your personal choice and budget.

With protective equipment you have several choices, above all you should wear enough for you to feel comfortable when handling bees.
The protective equipment ranges from the full beesuit, to the Jacket with built in veil to just the hat & veil. Additionally gloves can be a good idea. It is a good idea to visit you local Bee Supply store and check out the different styles to see what you feel comfortable with. There are several veil styles available, you may want to try several styles before deciding which you prefer.