Hive materials traditional wood?

[Trevor Beecham]

I know nothing about bee keeping. But I'm aware there are problems with bees which seem to be blamed on modern pesticides.

Question.

Over the last 30 or 20 years, different new materials are used for bee hives. Bee hives are painted, new materials are used.

Is it possible that problems are caused by these new materials and paints.

Is there evidence that traditional wood un painted beehives have healthier bees?

I'm sure the scientists have looked into this, if so, please point me to the research.

Seems to me, the problem might be the environment the bees are forced to live in.

That said, I doubt pesticides improve bee health.

My gut feeling is, bees should be housed in un painted wooden hives.

 

[Foxylad]

They are, most in the uk are hived in Cedar.

 

[tidymeup]

I can't say that I know of any research but I would imagine the fact that most hives seem to be made from cedar and don't need to be painted or treated with harsh chemicals to preservers to make them last. Also the wooden frames are untreated too, I tend to think in the past with beekeepers using stuff like creosote that they were more hard done by.

Being a user of both poly and wooden hives though I would say the bees do very well in both but the polys seem to have the edge.

 

[oliver90owner]

No to most of your points.
Last point is covered in previous text.
Pesticides are a problem and so is varroa. Hornets might be shortly and small hive beetle would make things far worse. Hives are the least of their problems. Humans ar likely their worst 'enemies'.

 

[Trevor Beecham]

So most hives in uk are un painted wood?

Seems if there is a serious problem there should be some research into the materials used in the hives.

Not saying the problem isn't pesticides but in my garden the bumblebee population is thriving. So I'm wondering if the honeybee. Problem is more to do with the housing of the bees than what they feed on?

 

[Trevor Beecham]

But there must be a reason or reasons for the decline and problems. The problems are recent, and new materials used in the building of hives are recent, is there a correlation?

A quick look on google and the top listed companies are pushing new materials.

Might these poly plastic hives and or modern paints damage bee health?

Someone must have tested for this?

 

[tidymeup]

Cedar has been used to make hives for a rather long time and it's not a new material to be using. Poly hives are more modern but have been in use for perhaps 30+ years.

As said previously were the problem not the material they live in, personally I don't see hive deaths for any un explained reason.

 

[tidymeup]

Also on the bumble bees thriving note, all the nests I have seen this year are generally in man made or at least man treated materials like tantalised timber. And they seem to love fibreglass insulation.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I tend to think in the past with beekeepers using stuff like creosote that they were more hard done by.

Most moveable frame hives in Southern Africa are treated with creosote - didn't seem to be a problem out there.

My gut feeling is the OP is determined to get us to say that hives in modern materials are the problem?
Forget pesticides and hive materials, habitat is the biggest problem look at the mess monoculture farming has caused in america

 

[Trevor Beecham]

The bumble bees in my garden are doing really well but I've no idea where they nest.

Cedar has been used for 30 years you say and PVC for how long?

Are Cedric hives painted? What was used prior to cedar?

What possible reason would someone want to use PVC as opposed to wood, other than cheapness?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

hmmmmm

 

[Hivemaker.]

Cedar has been used for 30 years you say

Who said that.

 

[Trevor Beecham]

Most moveable frame hives in Southern Africa are treated with creosote - didn't seem to be a problem out there.

My gut feeling is the OP is determined to get us to say that hives in modern materials are the problem?
Forget pesticides and hive materials, habitat is the biggest problem look at the mess monoculture farming has caused in america

I'm not trying to get anyone to say anything. I'm just asking if the scientists have eliminated the materials used in the manufacture and upkeep of the hives have been eliminated.

My gut feeling is it is pesticides which have caused the decline. But I have noticed that bumble bees seem to thrive in my garden.

But if you want to blame habitat or pesticides you need to eliminate the way you keep the bees as the problem.

 

[Trevor Beecham]

Someone earlier said cedar had been used for a long time and PVC for 30 years.

So how long have beehives been made out of cedar?

But why cedar? What was the traditional wood for beehives?

 

[Hivemaker.]

So how long have beehives been made out of cedar?

But why cedar? What was the traditional wood for beehives?

I have some cedar hives over seventy years old, cedar is very durable and light weight, pine is also used, more so in the USA... and painted for protection against the elements.

 

[Trevor Beecham]

Moved? Where to and why? Ah, found it now.

 

[pargyle]

Moved? Where to and why? Ah, found it now.

Honey Bees seek out a cavity of about 40 litres .. they will (of their own choice) pick some incredible places to build a hive .. hollow trees, chimneys, pre-used empty hives and just any beekeeping equipment left accessible are their favoured homes and beekeepers use this preference to catch swarms by putting out bait hives (Google it I can't be bothered to educate you). But .. we have seen honey bees nesting in plastic compost bins, in between shutters and the window behind them, in cavities in roofs, walls ... we've even see a colony take up residence underground in a manhole.

So .. sadly, your theory does not hold water ... bees are being kept in a variety of boxes made of many different materials and many composite ones .. I have a timber hive with a polystyrene sandwich construction and my bees are very happy and healthy in there. I also have a polystyrene hive and again a very healthy rapidly expanding colony ... my colonies have a 6mm polycarbonate crown board immediately on top of the bees and they don't mind that a bit.

People successfully keep bees in plastic beehives and some use plastic frames and whilst I don't use them there are beekeepers who find them quite acceptable.

Not sure why you are barking up this tree but I don't think it's going anywhere productive on this forum.

As JBM said... there are bigger problems that bees face than the boxes we choose to offer them as their homes ... lets face it ... they are not captive and locked in at night ... if they don't like the homes we provide they do what bees have always done ... they bugger off !!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Most moveable frame hives in Southern Africa are treated with creosote - didn't seem to be a problem out there.

My gut feeling is the OP is determined to get us to say that hives in modern materials are the problem?
Forget pesticides and hive materials, habitat is the biggest problem look at the mess monoculture farming has caused in america

The OP seems to have decided in his own mind that plastics and paints are the root of all honey bee hive ills Some time around hives and bees may enable him to take a more balanced view?

 

[Cazza]

Sorry, couldn't resist. Made me laugh.
How is it tantalised?

Back to the thread. My mentor was a creosote lover, bees were fine though, he kept them for over 80 years and his father before that. I still have some of the bb's in use. Not convinced this is an issue.

Cazza

 

[madasafish]

May I suggest to the OP he do some reading on the subject. After a year he can then discuss the subject with some knowledge rather than approaching the problem with a fixed solution.

(It's called the scientific method as opposed to the closed mind method)