Hi Andrew/ All
 
Andrew - you mention you have been given the chance to aquire some
Hardwood supers.
 
These will last longer - especially if they are saligna or jarra (two
excellent woods in your region)
 
They are however much heavier - a factor to consider. I once got hold
of a number of packing crates of old military General Motors Jeeps
and Bedford Trucks - they were Saligna and were the exact dimensions
(the planks were deep enough) for cutting into hives.
 
Anyhow, I made about ten hives out of this wood - and curse every
time I have to move them as that extra few kilograms of wood makes
quite a difference.
 
An alternative to the hardwoods is a system that a beekeeping friend
of mine in nearby Port Elizabeth uses (he has 300 hives of this type)
is to submerge pine (cheap pithy wood) in creosote and then leave the
boxes stacked up against a wall in the sun for six months to air.
 
This has a number of advantages - he prepares the boxes over winter,
and they are ready for spring. In Spring he moves his strong hives
into the boxes and uses the hive bodies they were in as catch boxes.
 
In winter he is able to prepare all the frames, putting wax in them
and placing them into the creosotes boxes - due to the strong smell
the bees don't nick the wax. By the time spring is there the boxes
don't smell so bad anymore.
 
These boxes are good for 20 years apparrently. (I have a box which is
that vintage from another old beekeeper who used to practise this
method.)
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
Eastern Cape Prov.
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
After careful consideration, I have decided that if I am ever a V.I.P
the I. may not stand for important.
(rather influential, ignorant, idiotic, intelectual, illadvised etc)