In a message dated 12/17/03 5:24:41 PM GMT Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:


> However, I've always wondered - I wouldn't think that one would want to use
> aromatic cedar - has anyone tried?  I'd suspect that the bees might leave.
>
> My guess is that the wetter climate  in the U.K. may be the reason for
> using cedar.  But fir or pine with a coat of paint hold up well.
>

From a Scottish perspective, almost any decent quality wood holds up very
well. A coat of decent preservative and any red (heart) wood pine box will give
many years of satisfactory service. We still have boxes made by my father in
the winter of 1949 in service with very few problems, and some that were second
hand when he got his first bees the following spring.

White (sap) wood is likely to rot a whole lot quicker, and these require
treating with preservative far more often, though hot wax dipping works well and
lasts for a very long time. Only boxes we have ever had to scrap because of rot
were white wood, bought in 1970, and even then they were getting on for 30
years old before the first ones gave out.

Cedar makes a great box, nice and light, but is prone to the rebates breaking
out as it is just so much more brittle. It is not actually so soft that
normal use of the hive tool is an issue. At a commercial level it is a bit on the
expensive side, but quite often cheaper batches of cedar, with some visual
defects and the odd knot, become available and make perfectly good boxes which
last a lifetime if cared for.

I have some plywood ones too, acquired second hand. However, we think of them
as too heavy, and even though they are good marine grade ply, they still shed
layers at times and begin to break up. I would not use plywood again.

All our new boxes are polystyrene, which both the bees and I love.

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