Woodenware

Woodenware is a term that refers to the bee boxes, bottom boards, covers and anything else used to provide housing for the bees.  The term is used loosely in that most of the time, the equipment is made of wood; however, other materials may be used such as sheet metal, insect screening and plastic.

Beehavin's woodenware is made to standard dimensions.  That is, our boxes will fit other manufacturer's boxes.  Many backyard woodworker/beekeepers make their sidewalls thicker, but this robs the bees of their internal bee space.  To compensate for this, the woodworker must increase the width and length of the box thus creating incompatible dimensions.  They justify this with the idea that the thicker boxes will last longer and perhaps provide more insulation in colder weather.  They may be right, but we think that the time tested standards work just fine and we have been using those standards in our own apiaries for many, many years.

What is the best wood species?  The most commonly found species used for woodenware is pine.  There are a variety of pines such as Ponderosa, Yellow and Eastern White.  They all perform well; especially if you apply a coat of paint!  We use Eastern White Pine when we can because it is the species that is most commonly found in New England.  The bees like it in the wild so why not use it?  Another common practice is to use Cypress.  The argument here is that Cypress will last longer.  We agree.  But... is it worth additional cost?  If you consider that we still have white pine boxes that are 30 and 40 years old, it seems difficult to justify any additional cost.  Still... if you want Cypress, or another species, we will be glad to make it for you.

Box joints versus rabbeted joints.  These are joinery techniques used by woodworkers to make your bee boxes.  Sometimes people will refer to the box joint as a dovetail.  Technically this is incorrect as a dovetail joint is a different geometry than a box joint.  The box joint is the standard joint used by the bee industry, but it requires specialized machinery or jigs to make it.  Thus many backyard woodworker/beekeepers use rabbet joints instead.  The box joint is classical, will stand up longer, and is durable.  The rabbet is strong, will perform well and is easier to make.  Which one should you insist on getting?  We don't think it makes much difference if they are made well. In our experience, the box joint takes more abuse, stands up longer and they are standard, so that's how we make them!

Handholds versus cleats.  A handhold is milled into the side of the box whereas the cleat is a strip of wood that is added to the outside of the box.  They both do an admirable job of giving you something to hold onto so you can lift the box.  The only drawback to cleats is the ability to fit a telescoping cover.  As long as the woodworker/beekeeper designs his/her cleat to accept a standard cover you are all set.  We use handholds because they are classic, time tested, and cover design independent. They are the standard in the bee industry.

Should I paint my boxes or just apply linseed oil?  We are happy when you put any sort of preservative on your woodenware! We use water based paint (latex) on our woodenware because paint resists ultra-violet light better and will stand up to the elements better than do the clear finishes.  We also like the idea that you can paint the boxes different colors enabling your honey bees to readily identify her hive from the others.  Clear finishes often degrade within one short season and must be reapplied each year.  Because they are clear you cannot use color as a way of identifying a hive.  Oftentimes, a clear finish will turn the wood black in color defeating the nice natural look you may have been interested in.

Should I use glue to assemble my boxes and frames?  You can and they will stand up to abuse better.  We don't use glues in our apiary because of the chemicals they introduce into the hive.  We don't have any research that we can point to that says that glue chemicals are harmful, but we instead find that our equipment stands up fine without the glue so why use it?

Poly-vinyl acetate, gallium arsenide, formaldehyde, etc.  What are these chemicals and are they harmful?  Does it matter!  We avoid using any materials that have chemicals in them.  Period.  It doesn't matter to us what the chemical is, whether it is harmful or not, or if we can pronounce its name!  We avoid glues (PVAs, urethanes, etc) and pressure treated woods.  We do use plywood and ensure that it is formaldehyde-free.

We hope that this article answers your questions.  Please send us an email with your additional questions.  Click here!