Questions on building bee hives: Why not oak for frame construction? No. 2 oak is about the same price as ponderosa pine. Oak will outlast pine as long as it stays dry. Why not cedar for the bottom board? Cedar will tolerate moisture better than pine. How about using water based poly on the inside of the hive to protect from moisture and other damp materials. The surface will be "slick" compared to bare wood but the wood would last a lot longer. Also, based on your experiences, what wood part of a hive fails first? Ivan Pechanec(wood worker first, bee keeper second?) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com