# Hive top material?



## wayacoyote (Nov 3, 2003)

Tim,
I have 2 that are aluminum topped. I have 2 that are styrofoam (my favorites) and the rest are all just painted plywood. I haven't had any trouble at all with the plywood ones, but they probably haven't seen the seasons your have. 

If I had a metal break (once saw plans for making one out of 1x2 stock, but forgot where), had aluminum stock of the perfect size so not to waste scraps, and had the hankering (I'm lazy) I would bother to protect them better. I do like to build, but don't like to paint. So the better things last, the less I have to rebuild and repaint. 

I agree, they will work better than plain plywood. Many I've seen simply have 1/4 inch plywood or masonite under. Friends in Alabama didn't permanently attach the metal as they said ants got between it and the wood. I never had a problem and found it more of a hassel to repair the metal once it had been blown off and gimped up.

Waya


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

I have a couple of unpainted plywood migratory tops. One has curled.


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## bleakley (Jun 13, 2004)

All our outer covers are home made. The materials are plywood and OSB. None of them have warped.

They do have metal tops. We've used either the preformed metal tops purchased from a bee supply outfit or made some from aluminum plates ovbtained from the local newspaper. I favor the aluminum plates (VERY inexpensive, easy to replace, easy to work, etc.).

Our climate has limited rainfall and low humidity so I imagine that helps too.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Just wondering,out of all the people on this forum that build their own hives,What material do you use for the tops?

Tops are the only piece of beekeeping equipment where I feel weight is a GOOD thing. It helps keep them from blowing off. Thick wood also warps less and holds up the bricks well.







I like 3/4" exterior plywood (actually 23/32"). It stays flatter (less warping) than 3/4" pine. It's heavier than thinner wood. I cut them all the size of the box with no cleats now and make a top entrance by shimming them on the sides. That way I can group hives together anyway I like for winter.

Other parts that use plywood, I buy 1/4" luan because I like the rest of the hive to be light.

>Now I have started to clad the in aluminum sheets simular to those sold by Mann Lake.

I like the aluminum. You can also pick up scraps of rubber roofing at job sites. They work well too.

I'm considering having a dipping tank made so I can dip them in parafin.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

I also use 3/4" exterior plywood. Its heavy and should hold up well. I've used it to make migratory and metal covered telescoping tops. I recently got some aluminum from a printing co and they charged $.40/piece. I believe I can get 2 covers from each piece. (although I haven't yet done the official measurement)

I'm going to make migratory tops and cover with aluminum for the 25 or so I'm gonna build this month.


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## King bee apiary (Feb 8, 2005)

I use all telescoping tops on mine,proped with the popcicle sticks in the corners.I bought a coil of aluminum flashing from the local do-it center,twenty something dollars,just wide enough for a top.Have made three so far and a few nuks.It's not very thick but for the purpose of keeping rain off and out of the hive it works fine.
I work at a custom millwork shop and can get all the small lumber I want,So tops have to be laminated together to get the diminsions I need,So as a cheap way out I figured I'd glue them together and cover with either aluminum or galvinized sheet metal to keep out rain,if there happens to any cracks.
Tight-wade you know..
Thanks


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

My homemade top cover is made from 3/4" exterior grade yellow pine plywood. It is about 4" thick in middle, sloping to each side. Sides are 1/2" exterior grade plywood. Its very heavy, about 15 lbs, need NO bricks. (Think about making yours two-layers thick for extra weight)

I used a pc of 20" wide aluminum flash (10' roll from Lowes roofing dept) to cover. Primed and painted, the 3 coats OIL base paint has lasted 3 yrs without any problems. Painted all wood and aluminumn too! I like the idea of recycling used printing plates.


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## Hook (Jun 2, 2002)

I use telescoping covers myself. Usually 1/2 plywood, but it seems the majority of you like 3/4. I also made some from some wainscoting that was left over from a jobsite. It was tongue and groove, but only 1/4 thick. It's waterproof once painted, but I don't think I would go into production with it. I use flashing to cover them as well, and use rocks for the top.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

(some wainscoting that was left over from a jobsite.}

Of course, what else would a beekeeper use left over wainscoting for?!!!  

We have gone to plywood for tops and bottoms. it outlasts pine 2 to 1 and is cheap. Cedar is really good, I have 15 yrs old cedar tops. I've heard the dame about cypress but have never used it.


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

If you can find a newspaper that still uses
metal "printing plates", you can buy these
very large sheets of thin metal very cheaply
once they are done with them.

When I was a kid, we would use them for all
sorts of applications. Mostly tree house
walls and roofs.


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## mdotson (Jun 18, 2005)

I have made tops with 1/2" plywood with 1X2 sides. I ran accross some coil stock that was used by some siding installers that used it to make soffit fascia and to cover other exterior parts on houses. It is made of an alloy that makes it bend much easier than the coil stock you would get at Lowes or Home Depot. It is quite expensive if you have to buy it as it is pre-finished in a variety of colors. I have been fortunate enough to be able to get pieces that are large enough to make the few tops that I have made. If I had to make a lot of tops, I would look for the printing plates. I have used them in the past and they work good. I made several of these years ago when I had bees. I still have enough coil stock to make probable 10 tops.

[ January 07, 2006, 09:30 PM: Message edited by: mdotson ]


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

As I generally try to use things as I find them, I covered some tops with tar paper and painted them. Some have lasted about 3years now but they are not good if you move your lids around much as a couple have torn. I'm sure weather will eventually break through. I have 4 tops covered with a printing plate. They really hold up, but unfortuanately a couple are alittle too small and inconvienient to take on and off. They were my first telescoping tops. I now have half a roll of paper asfault roofing I will likely use next. And one piece of srap rubber roof. If purchasing, I would use metal of some sort.

I liked a photo I saw with hives in a row with migratory covers. Then they put a sheet of tin roofing across 3 or 4 hives. Depending on the wind and how much you want to lift a cinder block to hold it down, it may be a good idea. Could work with an inner cover instead of migratory top.


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## King bee apiary (Feb 8, 2005)

This small town I live in has a small newspaper but I don't know what they use.I figure the next time I get a day off I will go and ask them,who knows if they don't they may know of one close by enough that does.
Thanks guys.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

>>>I ran accross some coil stock that was used by some siding installers that used it to make soffit fascia and to cover other exterior parts on houses.<<<

This is what I use, but you can buy it at Lowe's. It is about a dollar a foot. $50.00 for 50 ft. roll. It cuts with a "GOOD" pair of scissors, bends easily. Tacks or staples readily. Is wide enough to use without trimming and only has to be cut to length.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Here is a "tip" when cutting soft aluminum flashing.

Do not use scissors or any other scissors-like cutter. Instead, use a sharp knife (disposable blade) and a straight edge (metal square). Score along the straight edge 1 or 2 passes, bearing down quite hard. Then, just bend on scored line to break apart. Produces a nice straight, clean edge.


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## carbide (Nov 21, 2004)

I too use 3/4" plywood. I cover mine with scrap aluminum sheet that I get at a local company that makes recreational trailers. The company makes the walls and roof of the trailers out of glued together sheet aluminum, 1" styrofoam and 1/8" luan. They then cut holes in the walls for the windows and doors. The cut outs are scrap to them and a good cheap (free) source of aluminum sheet for me.

Like DaveW says, the best way to get a nice straight even cut in aluminum sheet is to score it deeply with a utility knife and then bend it back and forth along the score until it seperates. This eliminates the possibility of slicing your hands on the edge of the aluminum while cutting it with a pair of scissors.

[ January 17, 2006, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: carbide ]


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## Nick Noyes (Apr 28, 2005)

We make ours out of cedar and pine. The main lid is cedar with pine cleats stapled to the top to hold it together then a pine strip around the bottom of the lid. We dado a groove to let moisture out sometimes it is used as an upper entrance. We dip them in linseed oil and solvent then paint them with latex paint. They hold up well and wind doesn't usually blow them off.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A popular lid around here seems to be four sawn cedar shingles in two layers with a layer of 30# felt in the middle. I've never tried it, but it looks reasonably waterproof and weather resistant.


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## beebloke (Mar 25, 2005)

Hi,
Over here I go to signwriters and use old signs.For a solid one piece lid I cut up the large signs that are "weathertex".It is a compressed sheet like masonite.The real estate,for sale signs are a softer plastic product,called "coreflute".I use them as a cover over top bar hives.All free and weather proof.
I dont know if these products go by the same name in the U.S.If there is a signwriter amongst us he may be able to help,if not try a google search to see if you have a different name for these products.
Thank you
Beebloke


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

I make my tops out of whatever materials are handy at the time , now I am useing 1/2" plywood that I got for 2 bux a sheet and cover them with galvanized metal that is used for valley cover on roofing jobs. The galvanized material in .010 thick and I have a pan & box brake that I bend it with.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

>>The galvanized material in .010 thick and I have a pan & box brake that I bend it with.

Ed makes a great top.


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

>>The galvanized material in .010 thick and I have a pan & box brake that I bend it with.

I can say that I've seen Ed's tops, they're pretty good looking. 

Jeff

[ January 20, 2006, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: NW IN Beekeeper ]


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## Bill Ruble (Jan 2, 2006)

after reading this thread, I realized i have a roll of house wrap left over from my last house. I may take a look at it and see if it would work to cover tops with. It is free leftover material for me. I know it lasts a long time on some homes when exposed, but don't know HOW long.
Just a thought.


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

We use something called "form board plywood" It is used to pour conctrete against. It comes in either 3/4 or 5/8 . There is a man in Lakeland Fl. that you can buy pallet decking and hive covers from very reasonably. The stuff is great it never warps and you dont need to paint it.


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## honytradr2005 (Oct 1, 2005)

Do you have contact info the guy in Florida with the plywood product? Please let us know. Thanks


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## Bill Ruble (Jan 2, 2006)

I was th;inking that the form board plywood had preservitives in it that would hurt the bees. I may be wrong on that but it would be good to check on it before using it.


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## Blue.eyed.Wolf (Oct 3, 2005)

I use ceramic tile underlayment, it is a protland/fiberglass composite. If you watch the tile section at lowes, you can pick up pieces for cheep ( 3'X5' SHEETS with broken corners)
It is heavier than wood, and is impervious to water.


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## carbide (Nov 21, 2004)

> You can also pick up scraps of rubber roofing at job sites. They work well too.


Michael,
I just remembered that I have a 10 foot wide x 14 foot long roll of rubber roofing in the shed left over from a remodeling job that I did last year. How do you attach rubber roofing to your covers? Do you glue it to the top, or do you overlap it on the sides and staple or nail it?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have glued the rubber and I have just cut it a couple of inches big and done a "hospital" corner with a roofing felt nail (the kind with a plastic washer on them) in the corner. Both work fine.


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## Bill Ruble (Jan 2, 2006)

Don't the rubber get awfully hot in summer?

I just made another 10 tops out of osb with 1x2's for a telescoping top. After painting I am sure they will last for years. I suppose rubber roofing on them would make them last longer, but they only cost me about 4.50 as it is and they will last a long time so I guess I will not use anything on them.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Don't the rubber get awfully hot in summer?

I used the rubber on top of some telescopic vent box lids. But I think it would be fine on a telescopic cover too. But then I'd prop it open the inner cover in the summer and the heat would just help with the ventilation then.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Metal of any kind, gets awfully hot, if not painted white.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

I have sime white rubber roofing material but havent tried it yet


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## King bee apiary (Feb 8, 2005)

I like the thought of the used road signs.Has anyone used the plastic political signs for top covers?
I have heard of them being used under the sbb to close them off in the winter..


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I've put used them for the sbb trays, but I have put them on top of wood just to see if made a difference on my long hives with the seams between the three migratory covers that make up the lid. I didn't see much difference and didn't bother after that. I've also had nuc boxes made out of it and they did well. So, yes, I think you could make a lid out of it.


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

>>>with 1x2's for a telescoping top.

Are the 1x2s for telecoping primarily to prevent warping? Is this the only advantage over migratory covers?

All my covers are telescoping and I always was afraid that warping would cause too many prblems with a plain migratory cover - without a big fat roack on top.


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## King bee apiary (Feb 8, 2005)

Well I had problems with warping and would allow robbers in.Now I cover with aluminum flashing to keep the sun and water off which does the trick.
I do like all the suggestion,like the road signs,the rubber and others.Now I'm looking at different ways to build the inner covers.The one I'm thinking about building is just like a SBB.A frame around wire mesh.Here in the south with the high temps and humidity it only seems locical to put a screen on top and prop the lid up a bit.Prevents robbing,adds to ventilation.The only draw back would be these caucasians will sill it up with propolis pretty quick.But will give it a try this year to see what happens..
Next I may try the small hive beetle traps..Who knows..


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>without a big fat roack on top

Around here you ALWAYS need a big fat rock on top. Those 60 mph gusts will take a hive over sometimes and it will surely take off a lid that isn't stuck down too well yet.


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