Fresh pine chipping mulch - suitability of

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Hombre

Queen Bee
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Messages
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Location
West Midlands
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
Ten
I have just negotiated for a load of pine chippings from tree surgeons removing several lleylandi just up the road from me.

Are these chipping and needles, pungent as they are, safe and suitable as a mulch in the apiary? :confused:

I don't wish to cause the bees, or myself, any distress when they suddenly realise that home suddenly smells like a recently felled pine forrest. :puke:

If suitable, is it best to introduce this material when everyone is at home for the evening? if not suitable, I can always use it elsewhere. :)
 
If you google 'pine mulch' you will find that it is poisionous for some plants.

I was going to do it once but was advised against it.

Yours Roy
 
I have been using Pine chippings for around 10 months without any problems in my smoker.

It does smoke a little hot and you only nead little puffs to move the bees around.

I dont think varroa like it much because they dont like Thymol/Menthol etc.

Not sure about chippings around the hive though ?
 
if you are on about chippins on the floor i would put something else down first either old carpets or thick news papers and put the chippins on top as for the smell of pine you only get that for a week then it wears off, i have had pine needles and wood chippins in and around my shed/ apairy for only the last twenty years with no ill effects apart from a sweat barrowing the flippin things
 
Thanks for the replies folks. If it's poisonous to some plants, that's just fine. Probably mulch wasn't the correct term. I certainly want to suppress the growth of weeds.

It's more lifting and carrying a trug through the house than a wheel barrow job, so sweating freely. I pass the cooker with a clock as I head towards the back door and it tels me I was making trips about once every five minutes. I could probably do with another hour's graft and then rake the heap around. to give me the depth of cover that I want. :)
 

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