Best wood for Hives?

[Mark]

Hi all
I have an opportunity to make up some brood boxes and supers and was wondering about the options.
It seems hard to find good advice by searching so i'm looking for advice on the best 4-5 woods to make brood and supers out of beside ceder and pine
beside them I have seen Cypress and Fir and spruce mentioned but no real information on them. what i have found leads me to look at Cypress as material.
can anyone provide me advice.
Many thanks in advance

[huntsman.]

White or Red Deal will do the job.

They will need an outer coat of wood preservative. Check what beekeeping suppliers offers in this regard. Once you know what is suitable, your nearest DIY outlet may also stock this.

I have red deal hives over twenty years old and still holding up very well.

[Mark]

thanks for that I shall look into them.
As my father used to say learning all the time

[AndrewLD]

I am sorry, I know only pine, english cedar and western red cedar. Out of interest though, why have you discounted them?

[Mark]

there not really discounted just looking at options really. Im trying to find the strengths and weaknesses as information on ceder and pine are easy enough to find i was more just looking around for example i've read cypress repels mould and insects but hard to get (i have no idea) just looking for experienced folk to guide me really.

[NigelP]

there not really discounted just looking at options really. Im trying to find the strengths and weaknesses as information on cedar and pine are easy enough to find i was more just looking around for example i've read cypress repels mould and insects but hard to get (i have no idea) just looking for experienced folk to guide me really.

Western red cedar is the de rigour. Needs no treatment and is light. Can be hard to source, but is the first point of call. All others are a bit down hill. Hats off if making yourself. I'm all thumbs and numb fingers, so went for poly hives as better for bees in terms of insulation and no input from my limited DIY skills. But bees will survive in other types of hive,s (they are quite adaptable). Just remember to add some insulation at some point, even if only the roof.
Happy crafting.

[Mark]

I am unfortunately useless at DIY, but a friend who knows what he is doing has offered so im going to take him up on it. this is more a drive at buying spares and equipment for next year.so looking at cost vs value etc. I'm a fairly new keeper so still finding my footing in a lot of things.

[thewoodgatherer]

As Nigel says western red cedar is the best stuff and used almost exclusively over the years for good reason, not only does it have good natural rot resistance but its also light. When i started beekeeping I wondered why no one makes brood boxes out of hardwood, once you start hefting them about full of honey loaded frames you soon realise why, I make lots of my own bits and pieces and once you start knocking stuff out of pine the weight go up considerably. I've got some supers made form English cedar which is 1 step down from Western red and usually has more knots in due to smaller tree sizes. Love the smell of cedar too

[Chrisbarlow]

Not such a recommendation, more of an idea. I was thinking of making some brood boxes out of new scaffold boards. They're about a tenner for 12ft of board, so cheap. They're made of white wood ie a pine.
The boards are 225mm wide which is the right depth for brood boxes but they're 36mm deep. Which is twice as thick as conventional boxes, so some jiggery pokery would be needed to make frames fit correctly.

[AndrewLD]

I am all for Canadian WRC; the English cedar doesn't seem to have the same resistance to mould and may need treating.

Scaffold boards is a new one but I am thinking weight and has it been treated with something the bees wouldn't appreciate?