# Best wood for hive boxes



## Tom Fran

Hello everyone!

I'm just getting started in beekeeping and was wondering what is the best wood for making hive boxes. I am a woodworker, and I can get white pine, yellow pine, and cypress at my local lumber yard, although the cypress is about twice the cost of the white pine. 

Are there any woods that are better suited for the hive boxes or can you use whatever is available?

Thanks in advance for your help.


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## Mike S

The cheapest is the best, at least for me. They like the pine just fine.


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## duck_nutt

I make mine out of what's available at the time..I pick up spare lumber all the time laying around worksites...pine/spruce are the cheapest. But If money was no object, I'd probably go with cypress or cedar since they tend to stand the weather better. But you can paint the pine/spruce boxes and they'll last longer.


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## honeydreams

Cypress is cedar. and lasts for ever. use that. buy cheap pay twice.


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## duck_nutt

honeydreams said:


> Cypress is cedar. and lasts for ever. use that. buy cheap pay twice.



:scratch:


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## Naturegoods

I don't know about using that cheap pine - it might only last...say about....40 years if taken care of. By then I'll need my own pine box


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## peacekeeperapiaries

Cypress is NOT cedar. We use grade 2 or 3 white pine, two coats quality latex paint. Last for years.


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## alpha6

If cost is no object, Teak. Teak's natural oils make it useful in exposed locations, and also termite and pest resistant. Teak is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish.


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## duck_nutt

we have an old house on our place that partially burned years ago. the outside is lap siding. western cedar I believe is the wood. It's 11 inches or so wide, but only 5/8 thick, not the 3/4 most will use for supers. but it makes some sweet Top Bar Hives! I need to go tear more off asap


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## Brent Bean

I use ¾ plywood, some have been in continuous use for nine years except for needing a new paint job are still solid. The only drawback a deep super is three pounds heavier. I can get six deeps and three mediums from a 4X8 sheet. Last cost at my local lowes $16.95


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## duck_nutt

I don't have a cedar super yet, but was wondering if the cedar would help with the wax moths, since it does with the other kinds of moths? 

I know cedar doesn't bother bees because I have a guy wanting me to get some out of a huge cedar in his front yard. 

anyone know?


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## Adrian Quiney WI

Tom, I second cheap pine. Boxes are easy. I keep an eye on craigslist. Every now and then I get free or cheap pine boards, and then in the winter when the bees can't be worked I make boxes. You can even join boards together to make the deeps if there is no 1 by 12 to be had. Adrian.


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## river_rat2005

and buy cheap paint i dont mean cheap quialty just mistented paint that people didnt like after it was mixed. you can get it real cheap at wal mart,lowes,and home depot . the bees dont care what color it is so get creative


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## honeydreams

peacekeeperapiaries said:


> Cypress is NOT cedar.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar
please read. also Cyprus cedar - Cedrus brevifolia (or C. libani subsp. brevifolia) so yes Cypress wood is cedar.


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## duck_nutt

a cedar tree is in the cypress family, but z cedar and cypress are 2 distinct different trees and 2 distinct different types of wood....


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## Brooklyn

Don't use Cypress I started with some Cypress and Pine . Painted them both with the same paint and put on three coats. Both sat in the garage for a few weeks. Then the wife was getting tired of seeing them so she suggested to set them up out side. I set them up the same way next to each other on stands. The ones I purchased made of Cypress from Rossmans warped big time. The ones my friend made out of good ol pine are straight as a arrowl. Even the two telescoping covers I purchased warped and leaked after the first rain storm.

So save your money and buy pine and put some good paint on them and take care of them they will be fine.

Oh by the way Rossmans has not responded to any of my letters or phone calls about there supers. Maybe they are to busy.:no:


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## sqkcrk

White oak will last forever. Or at least as long as you or I.


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## honeydreams

Well Brooklyn you might be right. I have white pine, Hemlock, Dug Fir, Western redwood, and cypruss. I only painted one of my hives and it looks the worst for wear.


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## James R

Has anyone ever tried Sassafras? It is light, durable, and has a decent weather rot resistance. I have quite a few sassafras tree's on my property and have thought about. I agree with most on the sight that just about any wood would work. I think weight definetly should play into the decision and then rot resistance. I have also wondered about Beech. Both these specicies have a tendecy to grow hollow in nature and wonder if they may be a more natural habitat.


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## Ted n Ms

duck_nutt said:


> I don't have a cedar super yet, but was wondering if the cedar would help with the wax moths, since it does with the other kinds of moths?
> 
> I know cedar doesn't bother bees because I have a guy wanting me to get some out of a huge cedar in his front yard.
> 
> anyone know?


I use all eastern red cedar, but no it don't help with mites, wax moths or shb.


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## ehallspqr

Brooklyn said:


> Don't use Cypress I started with some Cypress and Pine . Painted them both with the same paint and put on three coats. Both sat in the garage for a few weeks. Then the wife was getting tired of seeing them so she suggested to set them up out side. I set them up the same way next to each other on stands. The ones I purchased made of Cypress from Rossmans warped big time. The ones my friend made out of good ol pine are straight as a arrowl. Even the two telescoping covers I purchased warped and leaked after the first rain storm.
> 
> So save your money and buy pine and put some good paint on them and take care of them they will be fine.
> 
> Oh by the way Rossmans has not responded to any of my letters or phone calls about there supers. Maybe they are to busy.:no:



Drats, I hope your wrong about Cypress wood. I just received my order from Rossman for two cypress 8 frame hives and a NUC. Since I only have a few hives I sprang for the select cypress after reading everyone raving about how great cypress wood is. I put some clear wood sealant/clearcoat on them as it rains allot where I live. They turned out beautiful and hopefully they don't warp to bad. I have had white pine warp on me also. That said white pine has been the industry choice forever. Its cheap and durable as long as you paint or seal it. I could buy two commercial grade pine hives for what I paid for one cypress select.


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## Joseph Clemens

Among the many species of wood used for lumber, quality is highly variable between cuts and between one board and another. Unfortunately quality lumber, of whichever species is selected, along with increased quality of the finished product, usually includes an increased price tag for the higher quality lumber.

Awhile ago, when I worked as a handyman/carpenter, I sometimes had exacting customers, this was in the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico. When working those jobs for customers with very deep pockets and a strong interest in quality, I had the fortunate experience to discover how nice it was to work with the highest quality lumber of many different species. Quartersawn Wenge is very nice, I'm sure it would make very nice supers. Ash, holly, white oak, birch, and osage orange are also nice woods that would probably make fine supers, some would be heavy, but they would certainly be very strong.


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## mothergoosemagic

I'm a woodworker, too. (Yes, I'm a girl) I opt for white pine as it's easy to obtain, work, & takes paint just fine. I even have my husband & granddaughter trained for the rare occasions I send them to "pick" lumber for me--straight grain, no cups, warps, twists or too many knotholes. 

Also stay away from any TREATED wood. I won't use OSB or similarly assembled materials because of potential off-gassing.

And I second the recommendation for "oops" paint. I picked up two gallons of Behr's Severe Weather paint for $5 each at Home Depot. A light celery green, so it matches my house nicely. I've painted everything is sight & still haven't gone thru the first gallon. Sherwin Williams sells Duration exterior paint. Highly recommended.


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## Tom Fran

Brent Bean said:


> I use ¾ plywood, some have been in continuous use for nine years except for needing a new paint job are still solid. The only drawback a deep super is three pounds heavier. I can get six deeps and three mediums from a 4X8 sheet. Last cost at my local lowes $16.95


Wow, Brent. That is a cost effective way to do bee keeping! I have already spent over $17 for (1) cypress deep super.


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## Brent Bean

I have to admit, cypress or teak or some other exotic wood would be a sight to behold. But the bees seem perfectly happy in lowes plywood. They are easy to hammer out and I can afford to keep a lot more bees for a lot less money. I do splurge and buy a better quality paint, but that is for lazy reasons, I don’t like to paint as often.
I am currently operating 30 hives.


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## Tom Fran

A big "thanks" to all of you for your advice and perspective on the question of which wood to choose for hive boxes. I have gleaned a lot of helpful information from you all! Thanks for your willingness to share your knowledge with me.


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## Eden Sinclair

duck_nutt said:


> I make mine out of what's available at the time..I pick up spare lumber all the time laying around worksites...pine/spruce are the cheapest. But If money was no object, I'd probably go with cypress or *cedar *since they tend to stand the weather better. But you can paint the pine/spruce boxes and they'll last longer.


I'm interested in a cedar Langstroth but can't find a supplier. I only see cedar _parts_ in the catalogs. I'm brandnew to this and ramping up for my first hive for 2011 so I may not know where to look. I'd be grateful for a lead, otherwise I'll go with what is available.


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## afss

i was going to start my own thread on this after i just got back from the hardware store and couldn't find what i was after. My existing boxes bough comercialy seem to be 7/8 thick and all the easily found lumber is 3/4... i know its a 1*12 but its true dimension is 3/4. 
Also the 1*12 localy is around 7 bucks for 6 feet.. is that decent?


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## honeybeekeeper

That 1x12x6' long board is approx $9 here around central ky (United States) so to me thats a good Deal!

I would like to find cedar lumber in 1x12 and 1x8...If anyone knows of any lumber yards that might cut alot of cedar that may have some rough cut, check the prices out. I would like to make a 2-Deep 10 Frame lang out of cedar lumber and treat the outside with natural oil finish to keep the natural cedar look!! Thank you!


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## afss

so is the 1*12 thats really 3/4 inches thick what most people are using to make deeps?

If so what are the cut dimensions or the lumber? Thanks


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## Tom Fran

afss said:


> so is the 1*12 thats really 3/4 inches thick what most people are using to make deeps?
> 
> If so what are the cut dimensions or the lumber? Thanks


Yes, the 1"x12" will work, plus you'll have some cut-offs to make yourself some sturdy hand-holds. You can buy the wood at Lowes or Home Depot - 3/4" white pine seems to work pretty well. Go through their pile and pick the ones with the least and tightest knots in them.

As for the dimensions, here's a link to a plan for the deep Langstroth hive.


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## honeybeekeeper

afss, you can find the build plans right here on beesource.com! I believe tom fran has submitted the link...Just click on that link and you will beable to view the build plans! Same build plans i used on my first hive i built! Good Luck!!

Here is the link that will take you directly to the build plans!
http://www.beesource.com/files/10frlang.pdf


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## Tom Fran

afss, 

If you would rather go with an 8 frame hive, you could order (1) from a supplier and use that one as your pattern (that's what I did). If you know how to make your own equipment, that may be the last one you'll ever have to buy.


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## afss

thanks all. I just printed those off and i'll pick up some lumber and get to it tomorrow. I have the frames already but am in need of some supers.

What do you all use for the metal for the frame rest?


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## honeybeekeeper

I buy them for .16 cents a piece!

https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=201


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## slickbrightspear

sassafras would be very brittle I think it would split out a lot. I would like to see someone at a sawmill make some sassafras boards but you never see that at the mills for some reason.


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## jsharum

i priced poplar and pine at the lumber shop yesterday. I could get poplar for 1.29 a board foot and furniture grade pine was 1.00 a board foot. Last i bought at lowes was crap wood and i figured it at 1.59 a board foot.
Board foot=thinknessXwidthXlength(in inches)/144


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## EastSideBuzz

Brazilian Rosewood would make some amazing hives. I have seen some doug fur boxes with scraps from construction sites. I just bought out a lady that was getting out at 5 bucks a finished assembled box so that is the best price. Cant find wood cut and assembled for that price.


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## peacekeeperapiaries

afss said:


> What do you all use for the metal for the frame rest?


We dont use metal frame rests, they frame sit on wood frame rest just fine.


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## Tom Fran

jsharum said:


> Last i bought at lowes was crap wood


I have found that, at least where I live, Home Depot's wood is of better quality than Lowes, especially the pine that I make hive boxes from.


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## duck_nutt

Eden Sinclair said:


> I'm interested in a cedar Langstroth but can't find a supplier. I only see cedar _parts_ in the catalogs. I'm brandnew to this and ramping up for my first hive for 2011 so I may not know where to look. I'd be grateful for a lead, otherwise I'll go with what is available.



I make my own right now. there are several people in my area who cut cedar and I have a planer so I can get it to the 3/4 inch thickness..


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## beemandan

ehallspqr said:


> Drats, I hope your wrong about Cypress wood. I just received my order from Rossman for two cypress 8 frame hives and a NUC.


I wouldn't worry too much. There seems to be a great diversity of experience with cypress. I have hundreds of Rossman boxes, nucs, bottoms and such. I also have pine. I haven't had a significant problem with warping from either.


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## duck_nutt

most of the warping and shape changing comes from using wet/green wood. My father and I build a hunting club a few years back for some people. They insisted on using this cypress that wasn't fully dry. We covered the walls with the cypress touching, and within a week, you could easily stick your finger thru the cracks. But once it dried, it stayed pretty constant(because we sealed it) If I were getting cypress boxes, I'd cover the outside with some type of sealer..


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## Justin3

So I looked at the costs from home depot in my area for pine 1x12x8's, they were 14.26 a piece plus tax.

From my calculations that is 1.25 hives per board. That is about $12.00 a hive. 

Why would I do that when I can stop by Dadant and pick up their commercial deep super for 13.20 (pricing for 10-49 hives)?

I'm wanting to build about 50 hives, I know that is $60 savings, but it would save me a lot of time to just buy them pre-cut from Dadant...???

Any suggestions? Am I missing something?


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## Dunkel

I don't think your missing anything unless your looking for a hive box made of some special wood or special design. The money saving is making covers and bottom boards, especially when various scraps are used. If you have to buy boards for deeps I think you are not going to realize much of a savings. Where making your equipment does really shine is when you have to have your woodware shipped. With the shipping costs involved I could justify hive body building.


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## honeybeekeeper

Well if you bought yourself a 1x12x12 instead you would have 2 deep hive bodies like your suppose to! Now your looking at $9 per hive!!! If you make it yourself that is and bought pine lumber!


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## JBees

Any body figure in the cost for their time in building . I know it will be different for everyone. Some derive pleasure from the experience (can't really figure the price on that I guess). But if you are a work man /woman time is everything.


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## Tom Fran

Justin,

If you live close to a beekeeping supplier, it probably makes more sense to buy them if the cost is close. As it's been mentioned, the shipping charges are substantial for woodenware. Some of us consider the woodworking aspect to be just as enjoyable as the beekeeping. Plus, we can justify buying more tools,  which we also like.


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## ezrahug

My vote is for local American hardwood if you can afford it. I'd love to find cheap walnut (yeah yeah yeah i know...).

My vote is AGAINST teak or rosewood, Ipe, or any other tropical hardwood no matter how strong and durable and pest resistant. Rainforests are being decimated by our thoughtlessness in choosing "cheap" wood. Even many MDF manufacturers use tropical wood in their production facilities (so i'm told). when you're at your lumber yard ASK where the wood comes from and buy American.

OK, getting off my pedestal now


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## Jeff F.

> OK, getting off my pedestal now.


My turn!
Local wood is always better. it's adapted to your climate. Whatever is used for fence posts in your area is usually a good choice. Up here in the PNW fir or cedar are good choices but you guys and girls in the southeast might use Lodgepole or equivalent. If you're building your own I'm a big believer in 'recycling'. If you're in the country rip the sides off an old fallen-in barn or what-have-you. If you're in the city grab wood from a demo site or scrap pile at a construction site. I doubt the B's care. Around here a 1X6X8' knotty cedar fence panel at Home Depot goes for 10 bucks.

Rgds: Jeff


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## beekeeper1756

I have purchased the cypress from Rossman and most of what I have has been white pine from Dadant. 

I have painted a few hives with paint, which peeled off in big spots pretty quickly. Now, I'm trying something new. I'm painting my hives with boiled linseed oil. I'm going to do a long term study to see how it turns out.


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## Justin3

Can you paint it with boiled linseed oil....then primer and paint it. Or mix the linseed with a solvent which will evaporate and help the linseed penetrate. Then you can primer and paint.

Just an idea.


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## Tom Fran

beekeeper1756 said:


> I have painted a few hives with paint, which peeled off in big spots pretty quickly.


Did you apply a quality primer before your paint?


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## Intheswamp

beekeeper1756 said:


> I have purchased the cypress from Rossman and most of what I have has been white pine from Dadant.
> 
> I have painted a few hives with paint, which peeled off in big spots pretty quickly. Now, I'm trying something new. I'm painting my hives with boiled linseed oil. I'm going to do a long term study to see how it turns out.


It's been a over a year now...how's that cypress woodenware holding up?


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## Joseph Clemens

I would use cypress if it were available here, and if it weren't more expensive than pine. Anyway, I use whatever I can afford or scrounge from salvage -- it all seems to work well, and the bees never seem to mind whatever it is.


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## Kazzandra

Hmmm.. cypress sure is purdy... and I guess if I were to set a hive afloat like Baby Moses, it would float a bit before the bees drowned....

I'm wishing my beginner hive kits weren't cypress. Now I'm stuck buying more cypress hive bodies because I used a transparent stain and it _is_ pretty wood. 

My next hives will be the cheapest possible solid wood (probably white pine). So that I can still buy the copper garden hive tops.


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## Intheswamp

I'm looking at a limited amount of boxes to setup two hives and get started. Hopefully I'll set up things later to cut and build my own. For now it's either white pine or cypress, looking at costs the cypress will be a bit more expensive. White pine is box joints...cypress is rabbet joints. I'm beginning to lean towards the rabbet/cypress boxes simply for the reason of end grain exposure (or lack of). I'll be painting whichever ones I go with so "matching" the finish later isn't an issue...probably go with OOPS paint at Lowes or Wallyworld.

Ed


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## Desert Viking Ranch

Justin3 said:


> Can you paint it with boiled linseed oil....then primer and paint it. Or mix the linseed with a solvent which will evaporate and help the linseed penetrate. Then you can primer and paint.
> 
> Just an idea.


If you use a linseed oil base (or cut it 2:1 linseend oil to turpentine) there is no need to paint it.To answer the question of the thread title...the best wood for hive boxes is whatever you can afford. Quite frankly the bees don't care what it's made out of.  I personally make my own from select boards from Lowes because they are cut clean and are cheap with my vet discount.


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