# Wood hive VS polystyrene hive



## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

After watching a lot of German videos, I ordered 20 Dadant deep hive bodies in 2011 to make into quads, to overwinter mating nucs in. Probably the most worthless piece of equipment I've ever purchased. Don't fit standard frames, very small and inadequate shelf for frames to sit on, Condensation issues. Lots of other comments if you search Dadant here.


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## throrope (Dec 18, 2008)

First hive was polystyrene. I was happy to give it away - bottom, deeps, supers, feeder, top and healthy bees.


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I've been using BeeMax hives for the past five years or so. Painted some, left some natural. I suggest painting. I do have them in partial shade under pine trees.

Ants love them, those nasty big black ones.

I don't move these hives and they have held up well. A normal wood hive body/super will fit on top but it looks weird. The inside dimensions are the same, but the BeeMax is wider so the outer edge sticks out.

I'm not so impressed, but they've worked. I have not noticed better bees than other wood hives.

No plans to order more, nor do I have somebody I don't like to give them to.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

If you want to put a standard box on top a Dadant type, just staple a 1x2 on the top and bottom. It will fit the outside perfectly without a ledge to catch rain.










I still have about ten of these unassembled. If someone local is still determined to try them I would sell them at my cost..Which three years ago was less that retail today.










If you live in a very cold climate they might be worth it. But the increased ventilation you have to give them to offset the condensation issues would probably eliminate the additional insulation benefits.

Someone else might love them. I was totally expecting to and was a little disappointed, mainly with the very poorly designed frame shelf feature.. My deep frames also hung down about 1/2" below the hive body.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I have about 50 of the bee max nucs. They are not holding up well, bees are chewing the frame rests. I have pretty much switched to wood nucs. Much more compatible with each other, stackable and no water in the bottom - had to drill holes in the bottom to keep from filling with water once a wood nuc was stacked on it. Cut the bottoms out of a few and put #8 wire there. that works ok. Even took a few singles through the winter up here with them. You really need to run a upper entrance with them in the winter to fight the condensation.


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## Bee o (Nov 13, 2013)

Great advice, thank you every one


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## clgs (Aug 6, 2008)

Has anyone tried the Finnish made Bee Box from Modern Beekeeping? Their ads and web site look interesting.


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

clgs said:


> Has anyone tried the Finnish made Bee Box from Modern Beekeeping? Their ads and web site look interesting.


I have one of these setups. Two deeps, two mediums, bottom board, top feeeder,and clear plastic inner cover. I have used it for one year now and have not made up my mind. One of the two hives I've lost so far this winter was in this setup. I suspect a queen issue, so I'm not blaming the Modern Beekeeping setup. There are a couple of things I don't like about. The first thing was that they recommend you paint the inside of the feeder with 4 (FOUR) coats of paint. In this day and age anything that needs that much paint should be factory sealed. The other issue is they don't sell a shim. The tolerances are so tight when you stack the boxes that you can't fit a pollen patty between the top deep and the inner cover. They do sell a shallow, but it is overkill if all you want is a little space to feed patties. The stuff is well made, so I can see how it might be very popular across the pond where wood may be expensive.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

My best queen cell builders are housed in homemade boxes, made with pieces of 1-1/2" thick foamboard. I cut the foamboard pieces so they fit together like this ->
​With deeper dimensions providing more space inside than a regular medium depth super, and less than a typical deep super (extra cluster space). I assemble them with polyurethane glue, it practically welds the component panels together. I also poly-glue 1x2 wooden trim on the top and bottom edges, with the frame rest rabbet, cut into the top end trim pieces. I then line the entire inside surface with aluminum foil tape, though I'm thinking of just gluing a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil (the aluminum seems to be the easiest way to prevent the bees from chewing the foam into oblivion. As with most of my other nucs, I use a similar piece of foamboard for tops and bottoms, but protect the foamboard bottoms with a piece of #8 hardware cloth. I slide back the top foam cover to create a top entrance on my chosen side.

For many years now, these foam supers have been my best quarters for queen cell builder colonies.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

I have never used the product but I received samples of StyroSpray brushed onto EPS and 1/4" plywood. It would certainly stiffen up the frame rests of EPS boxes. 

I wish I had a project that I could use the material on. There are a several videos on YouTube and on the manufacturer’s website. 

http://www.industrialpolymers.com/category/product-list/styrospray-product-list/

I would give the material a decent amount of time to cure when using it inside a box.


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## dsquared (Mar 6, 2006)

Years ago, I remember Richard Taylor writing "Plastic beekeeping equipment is the work of the devil." I have never forgotten it.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Joseph,
Have you tried the aluminum coated foams? Local Lowes is now carrying celotex (R-tech) in 1 side plastic, one side aluminum foil instead of 2 foil sides. 
What do you think of 1 inch r-5?


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Yes, I've tried some that are aluminum coated foams. Apparently it is a thick enough coating that it slows down the bees from chewing through the foam, but doesn't stop them like a layer of foil tape lining.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Glad I asked.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Well, I wouldn't keep my bees in a beer cooler either. 

Just had an old friend stop by for a chat. He had a holding yard in the south…polystyrene nucs and production hives. Lots of pallets of bees. The grass was dry, the wind up, and a fire got started from smoker ashes. The fire raced across the field igniting styrofoam. The bees and the beekeeper never had a chance. The entire apiary was lost.


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## buzz (Nov 12, 2011)

> Well, I wouldn't keep my bees in a beer cooler either.


Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure?...









Everything was fine till they found an unpainted spot and proceeded to take out the bottom one grain at a time,, but it was fun while it lasted!


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## bbbthingmaker (Sep 26, 2010)

Wood is best.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

buzz said:


> Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure?…



Cute Buzz.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I think there are advantages to polystyrene supers, especially in climates that have regular extremes of temperature. But, like Michael Palmer mentioned, there can be some serious shortcomings, but even wooden hives would have some trouble if they're located in the midst of a grass fire. I recently had a long hive (48 deep frames), exposed to a grass fire. One entire long side was charred to charcoal. Fortunately the hive was unoccupied at the time. If that were polystyrene, it would have quickly melted down and contributed to the fire. Fortunately I've only used foamboard for bottoms and tops of nucs and for a few queen cell builder colonies - so far without any negative issues.


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## Akmac (Jun 16, 2012)

I made two 5 frame nucs with 1.5" blue board last summer. The bees did really well in those nucs and I had to add empty frames so they could build up more comb. I suspect that part of the reason they did well is that a warm day here is typically 65f so with that insulation they didn't have to spend as much time warming brood.


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## jon.w (Apr 17, 2017)

I'm interested ware are you located


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## rwmccor (Feb 29, 2012)

jon.w,

these might work for you ?

http://www.michiganbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Styrofoam_Nuc_20100813.pdf


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## costigaj (Oct 28, 2015)

Bee o said:


> Has anyone tried polystyrene hive equipment? Or is wood the best hive type?


I am trying a Poly Beeworld Bee Boxes this spring with a new nuc arriving 4/29. I am seeing more and more of them. I painted mine on the outside with several coats of barn paint. Like one of the other commenters mentioned, the OD is a different size than regular langstroths so using wooden boxes on top will work but they don't fit in the poly hives tongue and groove. I use slatted racks and feeder shims, so in order to get them to fit, I needed to make a wooden adapter.


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## Pondulinus (Jun 24, 2015)

In Norway everyone use PS and everyone struggles with mold on the frames in spring, even with perforsted bottom board and semi-waterpermeable top-insulation. I hate it but no one sells wooden hives here as everyone thinks that the bees will freeze to death in winter....


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Here is one of my nucs with a poly bottom and a wooden upper box. Works ok but will have moisture issues so I have to drill holes in the bottom of the box


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## jon.w (Apr 17, 2017)

Try adding a 2in spacer at the top and a 1/2 entry in it it will dispell moisture a lot better


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## Pondulinus (Jun 24, 2015)

Doesnt really work for me, the entrance is as wide as the whole box and no difference with the top spacer. I spoke recently with a guy that started some Warre hive a few year back and he told me that in his experience, the hives made from 1" boards winter alot better than PS-hives. Inside is dry come spring, less dead bees, no mold etc. So my plan now is to make the hives myself - 8 frame mediums with quiltbox, wooden roof and bottom boards.


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## jon.w (Apr 17, 2017)

rwmccor said:


> jon.w,
> 
> these might work for you ?
> 
> http://www.michiganbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Styrofoam_Nuc_20100813.pdf


no I now of these plans and went a different way


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## Earthboy (May 16, 2007)

Hi, Lauri,

"I still have about ten of these unassembled. If someone local is still determined to try them I would sell them at my cost..Which three years ago was less that retail today."

Would you mind PMing me about how much they would cost for you to ship them to 74801 (Oklahoma) please? If the price beats Dadant, I am interested.

As you can see on my web page below, I use one as my retrieval box for cutouts and swarms, the best feature being its feather weight. I have painted it many a time in the past, now in pink, the cheapest mistint I could find.

Gratefully,

Earthboy

https://www.facebook.com/YSKHoney/


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

In the always wanted to try category and the please save me some trouble if you can category.

Has anyone built a nuc with a 2nd baffle in the rear? The rear wall 3/8 shorter than the front causing the heated air to make a u turn and down the baffled wall. The 2nd baffle would be gapped say 1/2 inch from the exterior rear wall and extend something like 3/4 the depth of the nuc, The idea being high ventilation up and over the rear wall, yet retaining a insulated bubble of warm air in the box.


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## PeterP (Feb 5, 2014)

I stole this image from here.http://www.beebehavior.com/polystyrene_nucs.php

Practicing my linking snipping and pasting skills....

Peter


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## Frank (Apr 21, 2015)

Since bees chew on most types of styrofoam , has anyone tried to protect the inside with a thin layer of silicone instate of painting ?
I have a cheap source of styrofoam boxes . I can alter them quick and make 2 boxes out of 3 . A box holds 6 medium frames and I hope it's big enough for a nuc.
So far I made just 2 boxes as an experiment . One is lined out with a thin layer of silicone, the other one with that red tuck tape ( the red plastic ).
Just wondering if that experiment was done before.


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