Thread: Recommended untreated variety for outdoors

Hi Dave, in this thread www.woodworkforums.com/f14/native-bee-hive-budding-131381/ I show what I have done with a native bee hive, I used pine (radiata at a guess) in the book I mention the type of timber doesn't seem to be a major concern, from memory someone made boxes out of plywood (glue??) I think the thickness of the timber has more importance for the insulative qualities, for durability I painted the hive(outside only) and made a sheetmetal lid with a piece of foam insulation under the metal.

This is my first hive that I have tried to propagate off the existing hive, due to winter (I'm guessing so) the bees arn'nt doing much in the new hive, I reckon they will resume building the new hive in the warmer months. It's quite interesting to watch

Pete

PS as far as green versus dry I would reckon only go with dry, at least air dried, if you make box hives from green more chance of having problems with splitting/warping/twisting all of which u don't want!

Thanks for your advice and wonderful pictures. I have read John's book on the subject, along with a few others, and it does seem using painted pine or plyboard is a popular choice. I am looking to use the education method as you have, and everything I've read so far has told me that it's unsuccessful more often than not. While it's just a theory I wonder how much that's to do with the use of pine. I have personally seen these bees in places you'd think they wouldn't enjoy, like telephone pits, conduit and steel fence posts, but never in a pine tree. Probably a coincidence I know, but this is an experimental design in many ways, and not using pine if possible is one of the planned aspects of the experiment.

In your opinion, does keeping the outside of the pine box well painted prevent rot? What about the inside of the box with moisture in the air, honey, bee droppings etc?

Best of luck with your hive, and I hope you keep posting updates as it develops.

Hi Dave, the painting will/should increase the life of the pine from something that might last 2 to 5 yrs to something more like 15 yrs, I am really only guessing but I would expect it to be so, the quality of the paint/preparation/etc will have an impact as much as anything, keeping the sun and rain off would also increase the life of the pine.

As far as not nesting in pine trees, it might have something to do with the natrual oils/resins/tannins that the bees don't like while the tree is alive, but when cut and dried aren't there/strong enough to worry the bees, it only took a couple of days for them to start building their structures in the new hive, they did do a lot of remodelling to the structures, I don't know y or if this is normal, perhaps it was a supply and demand thing, perhaps the boss was on holidays

I haven't seen or observed anything to suggest moisture problems or any other sort of problem, they were storing the pupae cases in the corner for a few days when it was raining but soon got rid of them when fine, I have observed the guards in the entrance using their wings to move air into the hive, I first heard the buzzing and had a closer look, that's what I assummed them to be doing anyway


Pete