Change of plan

[irishguy]

After finding out the costs of all my frames,foundations,bee suites(plus kids),starter kit and not to forget 3 nucs come spring time, im now going to make my hives out of plywood instead of pine. I have a choice of wbp or marine ply, marine ply is twice the cost of the wbp so im wondering how good this wbp will be. I will be painting them for extra protection so they last that bit extra.

 

[Apple]

After finding out the costs of all my frames,foundations,bee suites(plus kids),starter kit and not to forget 3 nucs come spring time, im now going to make my hives out of plywood instead of pine. I have a choice of wbp or marine ply, marine ply is twice the cost of the wbp so im wondering how good this wbp will be. I will be painting them for extra protection so they last that bit extra.

why not OSB ?
That is what I am having my TBH/ Coffins made from, I hope!

 

[Norton]

Use marine - the WBP is not suitable and will not last.

 

[VEG]

why not OSB ?
That is what I am having my TBH/ Coffins made from, I hope!

Hope you have plenty of it as you will need it for replacing the parts that swell up with the moisture soaked up.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

As well as being expensive, marine plywood is also very heavy and is probably too heavy for use in jumbo hives.

I used 18mm exterior grade plywood and sealed all of the cut edges with a good quality glue - Resintite - for the two 14x12 hives I made last year. My 14x12 brood boxes weigh 5.7kg and the Supers 3.0kg.

After drying and sanding, I painted the outside with 2 coats of Cuprinol Garden Shades. I'm hoping it will last a few years and expect to have to paint it every couple of years.

CVB

 

[REDWOOD]

At least make the brood boxes and floors from pine as they are out in all seasons, to prolong the life of ply edge it with pine strips to cover the cut exposed edges

 

[mbc]

After finding out the costs of all my frames,foundations,bee suites(plus kids),starter kit and not to forget 3 nucs come spring time, im now going to make my hives out of plywood instead of pine. I have a choice of wbp or marine ply, marine ply is twice the cost of the wbp so im wondering how good this wbp will be. I will be painting them for extra protection so they last that bit extra.

I would advise using good timber, not ply, or possibly buying second hand and giving them a good clean.
Buying three nucs at once is an extravagance if cost is an issue, bees will increase naturally and once you're a beekeeper swarms have a habit of turning up so you'll need lots of spare equipment anyway.

 

[pargyle]

why not OSB ?
That is what I am having my TBH/ Coffins made from, I hope!

Cheap but not the best material for something that has to stand outside in all weathers ... Even with several coats of paint.

For the small amount of savings you will get making a Top Bar Hive from OSB I would spend a bit more and have it made out of solid timber ... Even pine is better than OSB with some preservative on it.

 

[VEG]

An old pallet would be better than OSB

 

[oliver90owner]

It may surprise some but there are external grades of OSB. I would still avoid it, all the same. Need some structural quality, not just cladding attributes.

 

[pargyle]

After finding out the costs of all my frames,foundations,bee suites(plus kids),starter kit and not to forget 3 nucs come spring time, im now going to make my hives out of plywood instead of pine. I have a choice of wbp or marine ply, marine ply is twice the cost of the wbp so im wondering how good this wbp will be. I will be painting them for extra protection so they last that bit extra.

Marine ply of a reasonable thickness (18mm) is more expensive over here than pine ?

I'd go for pine if you want your hives to last. Not a fan of plywood for any external applications ... even with a lot of preservative and solid timber cladding the cut edges it has a habit of peeling back.

Marine ply is obviously highly water resistant ... but at a cost of nearly £60 for an 8' x 4' sheet it's a bit on the expensive side.

 

[pargyle]

An old pallet would be better than OSB

+1 ... The outer skin of my hive is reclaimed pallet timber ... interior is reclaimed pine floorboards. Both cost me nothing ...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

After finding out the costs of all my frames,foundations,bee suites(plus kids),starter kit and not to forget 3 nucs come spring time, im now going to make my hives out of plywood instead of pine. I have a choice of wbp or marine ply, marine ply is twice the cost of the wbp so im wondering how good this wbp will be. I will be painting them for extra protection so they last that bit extra.

The economy plywood hive suppliers seem to use WBP which I am told means water and boilproof and my builders merchants sell it as weatherproof exterior grade. They advise you seal all cut edges with PVA. Is there any need to use marine ply as no hive is going to be kept in continuously wet conditions.
I make my own boxes using 18mm WBP for the sides and softwood to cut the rails out of. I seal the edges as recommended but I use polyester resin as sealant/weatherproofing for roofs and 'I use fence paint for the outside of the boxes. The polyester resin is the stuff that commercial roofers use for large flat seamless roofs nowadays. For the price of an 8' x 4' sheet of 18mm you can make a lot of hives to get you started.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I made some nucs from 'WBP' , all edges sealed,three coats of ronseal - one in a sheltered part of the apiary for a few months - alrerady bubbling!

 

[Dishmop]

As well as being expensive, marine plywood is also very heavy and is probably too heavy for use in jumbo hives.

I used 18mm exterior grade plywood and sealed all of the cut edges with a good quality glue - Resintite - for the two 14x12 hives I made last year. My 14x12 brood boxes weigh 5.7kg and the Supers 3.0kg.

After drying and sanding, I painted the outside with 2 coats of Cuprinol Garden Shades. I'm hoping it will last a few years and expect to have to paint it every couple of years.

CVB

Same here. Two of mine are now two years old and no signs of anything wrong.
My middle name is cheap, and when a sheet of exterior ply is under £30 and should give you 2 complete hives (or very nearly) thats not a great deal per box. Plus they cut it for you at some stores so its a matter of glue and screwing.

 

[biglongdarren]

After finding out the costs of all my frames,foundations,bee suites(plus kids),starter kit and not to forget 3 nucs come spring time, im now going to make my hives out of plywood instead of pine. I have a choice of wbp or marine ply, marine ply is twice the cost of the wbp so im wondering how good this wbp will be. I will be painting them for extra protection so they last that bit extra.

If it was me instead of three nucs and three cheap plywood hives i would take one nuc and spend the rest on some good timber hives that will last you.

Darren

 

[mbc]

If it was me instead of three nucs and three cheap plywood hives i would take one nuc and spend the rest on some good timber hives that will last you.

Darren

This was what I was trying to say, but perhaps not so clearly.

 

[drstitson]

personally i'd've gone for cedar seconds rather than ply or pine.

 

[Black Comb]

Will last longer and be easier to handle.
With you woodworking skills any "seconds" problems can be sorted.

 

[madasafish]

+1 ... The outer skin of my hive is reclaimed pallet timber ... interior is reclaimed pine floorboards. Both cost me nothing ...

After my first TBH - made of pine - I made all my subsequent ones from pallets.. If you build them with lots of glue and support the sides with bracing in the centre they are very strong.. and not too heavy.

£20 per hive is my average - roofing felt, glue, vegetable oil (with wax for painting) and fixings and bought timber for topbars are the expenses.