# The best wood to use for a bee hive



## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

For my hives I like to use wood that is straight, flat, knot-free, easy to cut and work. Many species are suitable. Some are selected for their rot-resistance and durability. I like those that are strong, lightweight, and reasonably priced.


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## allan (Jul 7, 2013)

I looking for rot-resistance and durability


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Heartwood, redwood. When kiln dried it is light, strong, rot-resistant and very durable. These days it is hard to find and expensive when you do find it.


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## BGhoney (Sep 26, 2007)

Free,... Pine around here, fir splits easy, cedars to soft. thats about all we have.


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## Serendipidity (Feb 3, 2013)

I would go with Cypress for longevity!!


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## Cub (Feb 14, 2013)

The kind that gets tossed in the dumpster at construction sites is always best.


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## Tom Brueggen (Aug 10, 2011)

The cheapest you can get that is still straight and knot/crack free. Some look for cedar or others for their natural rot resistance. I look for exterior grade latex paint on the $5 oops rack at Lowes. I bought one gallon at full price once, but never again!


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

Cub said:


> The kind that gets tossed in the dumpster at construction sites is always best.


That is my favorite kind as well!


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## PewHeretic (Apr 21, 2013)

+1 for the free stuff! Probably matters more how you preserve it more than the species. I've got hives made from #2 pine from Lowes, pallets, 3/4" plywood and an old home made wooden table of unknown wood species! Of course, the "select" pine/oak/cedar/etc will look better if you're going to stain. But if painting, who cares!? I applied fiberglass resin as a top coat to my stained pine hives and they've been trouble free for over 2 years...time will tell.


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## Nige.Coll (Aug 18, 2013)

cedar is the most used here in the uk.
it lasts 50 years even with our constant rain


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

On the west coast, I get loss-leader 1x8 fenceboards of incense cedar or redwood to make mediums. I use #20 cabinet biscuits at the corners with drywall screws. Total cost for the IC is less than $1.75/box, and redwood is $2.35. Production is slower with biscuits than finger joints, but 6' dog eared fenceboards don't have the length for fingerjoints, and dimension (11/16th) is undersized. Expect about 30-40 per day.

I troll the Craigslist "materials" and "free" listings for 12" shelving or fenceboards. I use these for deeps. I gang cut finger joints or use 3 biscuits.

The off-cut rip of a 12" board makes stock for screen bottom boards (also biscuit joined). I make SBB in a 2 frames sandwich design. lower frame has 2x rails to make a slot for the filler board.

I build nuc with plywood sides (the long dimension) and fenceboard for ends (with the standard frame rabbet). I like solid wood for the ends, so I am not fastening ply endgrain. Tops and bottoms are identical "migratory" pieces.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

That depends on the price... free is the best wood for a hive...


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## Genemiller (Jul 21, 2013)

someone gave me a ton of ipe and i thought about using it since it was free and almost rot proof. I can't even imagine what it would weigh full of honey. any wood once painted will last a long time, i would go with light . Ipe does make great chairs and fences.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

cheap is good FREE is better :applause:


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

Whatever's free. 
I don't get any free 1x12's so I usually buy the boxes & build thinks with free 2x4's & plywood.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Hands down The very best wood for bee hives is sustainable plantation raised teak joined with hand cut through dovetails - light, rot proof, dimensionaly stable, beautiful to behold - it will last for generations and look good while doing it.

Unless cost is an issue - in which case the second best wood for bee hives is whatever you can get for free. Knotholes? Extra ventilation. Cracks? Same thing. Warps? I call that a good place to pry with a hive tool. It ain't a piano.

If you are going to BUY wood then 23/32 BCX plywood is hard to beat for value - usually about $25 - $30 a sheet = about 7 medium supers.

Advantech is UGLY, and a little bit heavy but durable and can often be had for free in the form of off cuts on construction jobs. How about all the nasty out gassing from such stuff - A) YOU are breathing it right now. B) The bees coat whatever you use with propolis on the inside.

The bees don't care.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

TEAK - HOLY COW, those bees had better be producing 1000 gallons per hive per year, with queens that lay 3000 eggs daily for at least 3 years.

:scratch:

Yea that would be a fine bee house though

Yea cheap is my favorite kind, but if I could find cheap cypress it would be my first choice and cheap redwood would be my second. Right now, it is pine or scrap.


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## windfall (Dec 8, 2010)

Rot resistant woods like redwood cedar and cypress are great, especially if you skip paint. But I would never pay the premium for them unless they were all heartwood. And unless you pull the boards yourself your not going to find that, almost no mill cuts or grades softwoods considering sapwood a defect (anymore).

I always drives me a little crazy when you see someone selling cedar or cypress wooden products, advertized as "naturaly rot resistant" and then you can see in the pics that 30+% of the material is sapwood....which is generally rot prone.....how much good how much good does it do you when half you playstructure, outdoor furniture, or bee box rots out in a couple years?


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

I use 2 x 12s, almost half the cost of 1 x 12s at lowes. The quality is much better with less knots and cracks. A knot is nothing to worry about in 2 x lumber. There is more of a selection on the self so you can be picky. It hardly warps or cups even if you leave the lumber outside in the rain for months. It insulations from the heat and cold better, it also can absorb more moisture that 1 x lumber. 

My boxes are so strong you could park a car on them.

The only disadvantage is it's alot heavier.


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