# Hive construction question



## beegeorge (Apr 19, 2012)

price and availability


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!

My opinion is that the best wood to use is _free _wood.  If you are buying wood, these days redwood is unlikely to be "heartwood", and so has no significant longevity value. The same _may _apply to cedar, depending on your source. Pine is readily available, and generally the most affordable.

If you haven't yet seen Michael Bush's Top Bar page, its worth a look:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm


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## Daniel Wodtke (Oct 26, 2013)

Yes I have seen Michael Bush's site and I have his books. I'm using Magnum's master template dimensions without the landing boards and handles and Bush's top entrance, length, top bars and migratory cover. It should be a fun project for me next week. Also I will get a bit artistic and burn some pictures on the fronts.


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## Silverbackotter (Feb 23, 2013)

I agree with Graham. Whatever you can get cheapest.

Hank


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## Matt903 (Apr 8, 2013)

Daniel
I have five hives using Mangum's design, and it has worked out great! I have three hives made from scrap plywood, and two hives made from pine. I see no difference between the two hives at all, expect the plywood might be stronger. Welcome to bee source.


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## MattDavey (Dec 16, 2011)

Make it so you can put (langstroth) supers on top. Also, put an entrance at each end for ventilation.

Most Top Bar Hives are no where near long enough, and the bees will fill it up and then swarm unless you can put supers on top.

That's why I'm making Long Lang Hives. You can use top bars in these if you want, but you can also use standard frames.


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## newbury (Jul 19, 2014)

Reviving this old thread because I have the same question


Rader Sidetrack said:


> Welcome to Beesource!
> 
> My opinion is that the best wood to use is _free _wood.  If you are buying wood, these days redwood is unlikely to be "heartwood", and so has no significant longevity value. The same _may _apply to cedar, depending on your source. Pine is readily available, and generally the most affordable.
> 
> ...


I've got "free wood". Free as in I see a tree, get it to lay down, run it thru my sawmill in 10 foot lengths and up to 20" widths.. Right now I've mostly sweetgum, pine, oak, red maple and some eastern red cedar in approximately 3/4" to 4" thickness, various widths (~8" to 20") dried. Plus I've all the tools to process it further, saws, planer etc.

Based on my readings so far I was thinking of using the cedar. But can the cedar be a problem for the bees?

Are there an "ideal" woods that I'm liable to find in north Mississippi? I've got about 400 acres of timber and a lot of it is mixed hardwood so IF Hickory (for instance) would hlep the bees double honey flow I could probably do it. Don't have any cypress 

thanks in advanc


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## AugustC (Aug 7, 2013)

Pretty mush whatever. I have made one out of old pallets. As long as you weather treat the outside (mixute of raw linseed oil and beeswax) you should be ok. If you are worried about the wood containing something that "might" affect the bees then coat the inside of the hive (though NOT the top bars) with a shellac.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

newbury-cedar won't be a problem for your bees. Several beeks have posted of finding feral hives in old hollow cedar trees. Pine in a 1" thickness (actual not nominal) would give better insulation than the store bought hives and last a long time if painted or stained with a good quality product.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

> newbury-cedar won't be a problem for your bees. Several beeks have posted of finding feral hives in old hollow cedar trees. Pine in a 1" thickness (actual not nominal) would give better insulation than the store bought hives and last a long time if painted or stained with a good quality product.


I used some un-standard thickness wood and untill I got my first pattern hive done I ruined a few peices of wood. I guess my math sucked. I only point this out so that if you are using printed plans you do have to make adjustments if you want proper bee space. Even harder if you are mixing standard and nonstandard wood. My point is to make one first and check that you have it correct and use the correct one for you mass producing cuts.
Just my opinion
gww


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

I have one hive made from left over cedar decking boards. It works just fine.


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## newbury (Jul 19, 2014)

gww said:


> I used some un-standard thickness wood and untill I got my first pattern hive done I ruined a few peices of wood. I guess my math sucked. I only point this out so that if you are using printed plans you do have to make adjustments if you want proper bee space. Even harder if you are mixing standard and nonstandard wood. My point is to make one first and check that you have it correct and use the correct one for you mass producing cuts.
> Just my opinion
> gww


Thanks.

I don't mass produce, I generally make one, modify, build, modify and often a project will go thru 4 or 5 major revisions.


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## Cub Creek Bees (Feb 16, 2015)

newbury said:


> Reviving this old thread because I have the same question
> 
> 
> I've got "free wood". Free as in I see a tree, get it to lay down, run it thru my sawmill in 10 foot lengths and up to 20" widths.. Right now I've mostly sweetgum, pine, oak, red maple and some eastern red cedar in approximately 3/4" to 4" thickness, various widths (~8" to 20") dried. Plus I've all the tools to process it further, saws, planer etc.
> ...


the bees around here say Gum (Nyssa) is nice...


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## newbury (Jul 19, 2014)

Cub Creek Bees said:


> the bees around here say Gum (Nyssa) is nice...


Thanks, but do they say that because of the flower? 

I worked for 10 years in a building that had a 60+ foot Tupelo tree and it sure was pretty when in blossom.

I believe I've a few in the "yard" (about 10 acres) at the house.

I'll just have Mr. Stihl 660 talk to one of them and get it to lay down.

And my site is about 30 miles from Tupelo, Mississippi.


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## J-Rat (Dec 10, 2013)

Pick the wood that you like. I used pine. It's only the first year and it's holding up well. 
You stated that you have the skills and tools to build what you want. I watched a u-tube 
at wranglerstar.com , I made a few changes, It's good info.


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## newbury (Jul 19, 2014)

J-Rat said:


> Pick the wood that you like. I used pine. It's only the first year and it's holding up well.
> You stated that you have the skills and tools to build what you want. I watched a u-tube
> at wranglerstar.com , I made a few changes, It's good info.


I went to that channel and didn't see the bee hive vid. I did look briefly at "couple falls giant tree with ax" where they used a regular two man saw. And the tree definitely wasn't giant, it wasn't even big enough to warrant my 90CC saw, my 60CC would do..


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