# Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opinion?



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Pallets tend to rot after awhile if in contact with the ground and can be too big unless you are putting four hives on one. JMO. I use four cinder blocks and 2 8' 4x4's for my stands. Cheap, last a long time, easy to level, and will hold five full sized hives at just the right height. One of these days I might sink posts into the ground and make permanent stands.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Pallets are bad for growing up grass and weeds that you cannot cut. Cement building blocks flat side down give good stability on even fairly soft soil. Lengthwise rails of either 4 x 4 (or 2 x 4 on flat) on top of the blocks to place the hives on. The hives can be slid alongwherever you want to regulate space between hives. If you wish you can work feet on the ground for low hives or throw a piece of plywood on top of rails which you can stand on to work taller hives with supers on.

Think about placing some geo textile material down before you put the blocks down to control weeds and ants.


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## Jim_in_PA (May 17, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I'd never consider pallets for this kind of thing for the reasons already stated.

Most of our hive stands are 8" solid cement blocks on stone base. I did, however, just build another one from reclaimed 4x4 PT that was used for the skids my CNC machine was shipped on as we need to move one colony to get it out of the way of some necessary tree removal (ash borer tree death) as well as to absorb a "new" colony from Alison's NUCs. Both types of stands get the base of the boxes up about 8" off the ground.

Here is an example of both the block hive stands and the new "portable" one recently constructed....


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Next time I will follow Frank's advice of placing the blocks flat side down. That way there will be no cavity to fill with leaves. My client poured the slab and baserock which I felt was a nice touch. Arranging the blocks like this left room for a shelf on the back to hold the jars being filled by the Flowhives.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

This is a bee closet for a client scared of bees. I like to be able to see the entrances easily when I arrive at the site, so I arranged them like this. The blocks are on compacted baserock. I dislike the gravel because it sticks to the equipment if stood on the ground. One problem with the blocks used directly under the hives is that they are 1/4" narrower than this style of bottom board. Therefore the wood blocks.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Since Ollie decided this will be a show and tell thread, this is a picture of one of my hive stands. All five look the same. Not nearly as nice, but gets the job done. I should have put the blocks flat too.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I make use of concrete slabs whenever possible.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I now decided it will be the "biggest braggart thread". If we could just get Charlie in on it with his antproof hive stands. My favorite concrete slab is this donut shape at a "scuplture farm". I call it the compass apiary as the hives face NSEW. Sadly the site has very poor forage, the hives struggle to survive, last week they were stinging the host during the toyon bloom. I will likely abandon it.


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

I like my concrete blocks on the ground, no rails. I only have a few hives but I have them spaced so I can work comfortably between them and when winter comes I can add blocks in the spaces between


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## Fivej (Apr 4, 2016)

Sorry I hit send too soon. I was trying to say that I can fill the spaces in with concrete blocks and Slide the hives together for overwintering. This year I left some blocks on the ground between the hives to give me a stable place to set boxes during inspections. J


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## beeeee (Apr 4, 2010)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I like to lay black plastic down and then put a plastic yes plastic not wood pallet. They are much thicker than the rickety old wooden ones. You can walk on them without disturbing the hive at all.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

A complaint about plastic pallets is that the hives slide around on them easily while working them. I guess one could cleat them down.


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## SDiver40 (Apr 14, 2013)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I prefer up off the ground. No stooping over to work the hive. Put down some plastic and mulch then sit the hives on treated 4x4.
Dont know why my pictures are side ways??


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

We can't do it like that here in earthquake country.


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## f650cs (Jun 16, 2014)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*








I like using cinder blocks. I live on top of a hill, so the ground is very steep. I arranged the entrances so I can see them without always having to walk down. I like having a few extra blocks for a workspace so I don't have to put boxes down on the gravel. I use rock salt a couple of times a year to keep weeds from growing out of control.


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## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

I built two way pallets myself using a similar design to Ian's. I had hives on the block and beam stand and moles built tunnels around and under the blocks, which sank and tipped the whole stand. I caught it before anything fell. With pallets you have a larger surface for support so they are very steady. I don't have a lift yet but the design will allow for that down the road. The bottom board is the pallet so one less piece to stock. If I need to move them, I pull the boxes off and restack on a different pallet, or a trailer. Mine are built with treated lumber for ground contact, and untreated for parts the bees contact inside. These have worked very well. Regular wood pallets rotted enough to start falling apart in a few years in this use.


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## FarmerDave (Jul 12, 2017)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Thanks for all the good ideas, very helpful! As far as the wood pallets rotting, if I did go that route I would put them on cinder blocks as well and I think this would extend there life to some degree. In the end I am leaning towards the 4"x4" in/on cinder blocks.

Cheers!


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



odfrank said:


> I now decided it will be the "biggest braggart thread". If we could just get Charlie in on it with his antproof hive stands. My favorite concrete slab is this donut shape at a "scuplture farm".


Since my glorious victory over Ollie in our 2018 swarm trap contest, I feel that I will leave any remaining bragging to him. I was way out of my league trying to out-brag one of the best braggarts on BeeSource to begin with!


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

My hive stands are a frame that sits on posts. I screw four PVC caps on the bottom of the frame that I line with grease to make it ant proof. Underneath the pipe cap is a 3/4" nut. A 1-3/4 counter bore is drilled 3/4" deep in the cross member and a 13/16" hole is drilled all the way through. The nut is pressed in and epoxied in place. Then I drill a 7/8" hole in the PVC cap and screw it in place. A 3/4" leveling bolt passes through from the top.

The stand in the first two pictures has three hives on it currently, but it is a little crowded making working the center hive difficult. I've built several single hive stands using the same pattern, third picture has one shown under my Warre. I much prefer the single hive stands.

While I happen to have granite posts available for free, any post will work, or with longer leveling bolts the bolts can just rest on cinder blocks or pavers.


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## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

nuttin' fancy here. just 2x6s laid across the top of cinder blocks. cheap, easy, adequate. But my hives stay in the same place.
Now, if you need to move them frequently, maybe need a migratory setup, pallets are the answer.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

My sleek, elegant ant proof hive stands reflect the beauty of beekeeping and are a must have for the season. No wonder Ollie is so jealous!!!


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

When I ran the numbers it was cheaper to do 2 block per hive then use blocks and 4x4s and with the mix of KTBHs, Langs, Warres, and matting nucs in each format as well the block are more or less universal.
I also have 6 way pallets and plamer style 2x4 stands as well .. I like the isolation and flexibility of single stands on 2 blocks, keeps the vibration of working one hive from traveling to the next.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



f650cs said:


> View attachment 42909


My stands are closest match to these. Flat side down. This is how my mentor showed me when I started 8 years ago, and what a blessing it turned out to be during a year of a near miss hurricane, and last year's direct hit hurricane. Ratchet straps through the cinder block openings (though I didn't have nearly enough straps) and/or another cinder on top to keep hive in place. 

First few years I double stacked the cinder blocks but then learned that a hive can get too tall with supers and difficult to take down the top full supers after a flow. Now I only do single story.

I also will sometimes use 3 cinders lined up and have middle cinder share 2 hives.


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I started with hives on rails on blocks.
( & still have some in that confivuration in an out yard)
Since i have aquired "pallet fork technology" every thing moving forward will be on pallets.

Pallets are on blocks untill it gets too tall to work. Then on bricks.
Salvage pallets are "structurally augmented" to deal with sagging.
Plastic & scrap/rotten osb under pallet to control grass / weeds.


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

For singles I do cement blocks 2 stories high. I'm 6'1" so a single story is too low.

For multiples I just build a 2x4 rectangle for on top of the blocks.


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## SansTX (Jul 2, 2014)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I use the block and rail configuration that many have mentioned here....but i find working the middle hives from the back of the hives more difficult than the two on the ends. I prefer them two by two rather than a long row of hives.


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## R_V (Aug 20, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



SDiver40 said:


> I prefer up off the ground. No stooping over to work the hive. Put down some plastic and mulch then sit the hives on treated 4x4.
> Dont know why my pictures are side ways??
> View attachment 42917
> 
> ...


a little nudge and that's gonna fall over


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## R_V (Aug 20, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

old swing set 
.
.








.
.


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## SDiver40 (Apr 14, 2013)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Double post


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## SDiver40 (Apr 14, 2013)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



R_V said:


> a little nudge and that's gonna fall over



They been standing for 2 years now. We have had several high wind storms that up rooted trees. Hives never moved.


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## soarwitheagles (May 23, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Charlie B's Ant Proof Bee Hive Stands are by far, the very best!

Yes, it takes some extra work, but the final results are far worth it...

We are still mass producing them...even to this day!















And if you have any extra scrap metal laying around or if you can find some at the local scrap/junk yard, you could always weld up some stands too!


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## Ken JP Stuczynski (Feb 26, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



FarmerDave said:


> Looking to build one or the other and looking for some pros and cons of each. Both would be up on cinder blocks.
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave


Picnic table.

Seriously ... tradition notwithstanding, beehives were never meant to be just above the ground. If you're only doing a few hives, I would build mini picnic-tables on stone slabs. The only problem is inspections and swapping supers is difficult if the base is above waist height.


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## Cloverdale (Mar 26, 2012)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



JWPalmer said:


> Since Ollie decided this will be a show and tell thread, this is a picture of one of my hive stands. All five look the same. Not nearly as nice, but gets the job done. I should have put the blocks flat too.
> 
> View attachment 42899


Mine look like yours and have found that we need a ladder to remove supers. So we are lowering the stands to one block. Unfortunately one is sunk in the ground so it can’t be moved. Keeping the stands moveable is good.


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## TehachapiGal (Mar 5, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



FarmerDave said:


> Looking to build one or the other and looking for some pros and cons of each. Both would be up on cinder blocks.
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave


I agree with others that a pallet is too large and rots. They're made for short term use for specific purposes, not a long term solution. A 4x4 will not be the right type of stand either if you have to deal with ants. My dear husband makes the stands for our apiary.








An attachment of one of my hives on a stand. The legs were made by cutting 1 1/2" tubes for fencing and using a hole saw blade. If ants come knocking I use a q-tip and apply Vicks Vaporub around the metal. It works. The grease is very difficul to eventually remove though. A degreaser works.


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## thesecurityeagle (Jun 21, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

I use these in the home apiary. My design. Next year I am going on the pallet route for my outyards.


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## krismellebrand (Oct 29, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*














I saw this idea on Pinterest and I thought I could do this by myself! No tools! Two cinderblocks high and 8' 4"x4" treated lumber threaded through the holes. It works great! It was a little tricky to level. I have room for my tools and stuff, maybe another hive someday, I like sit on the cinderblocks and watch the bees.


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## TehachapiGal (Mar 5, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



krismellebrand said:


> View attachment 43093
> View attachment 43095
> 
> I saw this idea on Pinterest and I thought I could do this by myself! No tools! Two cinderblocks high and 8' 4"x4" treated lumber threaded through the holes. It works great! It was a little tricky to level. I have room for my tools and stuff, maybe another hive someday, I like sit on the cinderblocks and watch the bees.


Very nice and sturdy. The extra space on the hive stand makes inspections easy without having to put the boxes on the ground. I started placing a white sheet under the area where I put the boxes during inspection to make it easy to see the nurse bees. They can't fly yet and some of them always seem to fall off the frames and onto the ground. They need to be picked up and put back into the boxes after inspection.


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## krismellebrand (Oct 29, 2016)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



TehachapiGal said:


> Very nice and sturdy. The extra space on the hive stand makes inspections easy without having to put the boxes on the ground. I started placing a white sheet under the area where I put the boxes during inspection to make it easy to see the nurse bees. They can't fly yet and some of them always seem to fall off the frames and onto the ground. They need to be picked up and put back into the boxes after inspection.


the white sheet is a good idea! thanks!


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## Hubeeba (May 19, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Thought I would throw a photos of my hive stands in the mix.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Hub,

Do your stands have feet? I can’t tell from the photo. I’m sure they do or it looks like they’d sink in the ground.


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## Hubeeba (May 19, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Here's a better photo, when I put them on mats I use a PVC cap. If not on a mat I don't worry about it cause they do no sink into the ground much.


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## SDiver40 (Apr 14, 2013)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*



Hubeeba said:


> Here's a better photo, when I put them on mats I use a PVC cap. If not on a mat I don't worry about it cause they do no sink into the ground much.
> View attachment 43245



That is a pretty neat stand ya got there. Would be great for an out yard for a fast easy setup


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## Hubeeba (May 19, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

over the winter I'll make between 25 and 30 of them and sell most when I sell nucs in the spring

If you can weld, you can makem. And not as heavy as cinder blocks. They have stood up thru hurricane Irma with a little help.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Hub,

Are you using rebar for the material?


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## Hubeeba (May 19, 2015)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

#5 rebar. I cut four pieces, two 48inchs in length and two 22inchs in length.

The two long pieces I heat in the enter and bend around an 1/12 pipe so that the ends are 27 inches apart. The two horizontal pieces are welded at a point that is 12 inches off the ground.

It helps to make a jig.

22 inches will accommodate two nucs nicely.


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## Sour Kraut (Jun 17, 2012)

*Re: Pallets or 4"x4" through cinder block for a hive stand. Whats best in your opini*

Neither, unless you want to put 4 hives on a pallet for easy (??) moving

My stands are a pair of concrete blocks, running front to back, spaced about an inch apart because an '8-inch' block is only 7-5/8"

I used to tier them up two high, but running two deeps plus several mediums, it got too high for easy removal of the top super.

I dig them into the ground about an inch, leveling them side to side and ''about a half bubble off plumb" rear to front for drainage of any rain water that blows in.

It helps to have a teen-age grandson or two to carry them from the truck to the location, work the shovel, and move them around till they are level.

Once set (preferably the autumn before use), soak down the vegetation around them with RoundUp® or equivalent, and a week or so before setting the hive, repeat the RoundUp® and also spray the ground all around with a good insecticide and sprinkle some diatomaceous earth under the landing board to kill off any Small Hive Beetle larvae etc (the DE has 'sharp edges' that cut thru the larva's 'skin') that drop down to complete their life cycle. You will need to repeat the insecticide and DE after heavy rain, and at 4-6 week intervals thru the year. The RoundUp® should last all year.


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