Where to get Ceder

[Peebels]

Hello all,

I was planning on building some more hives and supers over the winter as well as an additional bb for my existing hive. I would quite like to use Ceder but im not really sure where to get it from. Can anyone offer any suggestions or perhaps talk me into an alternative.

Also while I have your eyes on my post I have a slightly dense question to ask. Its not really appropriate for this section but its related to the double bb's I would like to create. When inspecting a double bb hive, where should you put the top bb when your looking at the bottom one?

Peebs

 

[JCBrum]

Re Cedar, probably Hivemaker is the bloke to ask.

Re double bb, you're supposed to take off the roof and put it upside down in front of the hive then stack the boxes crosswise on it, so that you don't trap bees between the edges, when you dismantle the rest of the hive, - at least that's what I was taught

 

[Tom Bick]

If your hive has supers on and you have removed them first to the roof remember to put the Queen excluder on top of the super befor placing the first bb on it. Its an obvious thing but how many times has it happened on the next inspection supers full of eggs and brood.

 

[victor meldrew]

I would like to elaborate on that suggestion.
Whilst it's ok to place the top box of a double brood arrangement in front of the hive, it is in fact a bad idea to do this with supers .
Think about it! . One, a virgin queen may be on a mating flight ,should she return whilst you have supers in front of the hive where do you think she is likely to end up? yes in the supers ! , Two ,even if you're experienced enough to know this is unlikely to happen you are still going to get drones in the supers ( ok if you can tolerate dead drones on your Queen excluder) finally, robbing bees are more often to be seen skulking around the front of the hives and again end up robbing the unguarded supers ,which will encourage them to return mob handed as it were .
I know lots of bee keepers advise putting supers in front on the assumption that "It'll give the returning bees somewhere to land ,instead of bothering the bee keeper " but in reality foragers return to the entrance which would be obscured by a stack of supers ?.

John Wilkinson

 

[victor meldrew]

Sorry Tom our posts have crossed , didn't mean to steal your thunder .

John Wilkinson

 

[MuswellMetro]

If your hive has supers on and you have removed them first to the roof remember to put the Queen excluder on top of the super befor placing the first bb on it. Its an obvious thing but how many times has it happened on the next inspection supers full of eggs and brood.

but if you have a gabled roof, you need an old super, or something like it

 

[JCBrum]

Gabled roof - I use one of those fold-up camping stools with a canvas seat to put the roof onto upside down. Works a treat and just leave it leaning against one of the hives in a handy place.

 

[PaleoPerson]

Hello all,

I was planning on building some more hives and supers over the winter as well as an additional bb for my existing hive. I would quite like to use Ceder but im not really sure where to get it from. Can anyone offer any suggestions or perhaps talk me into an alternative.

Peebs

Hi Peebels,

You could try http://www.cfanderson.co.uk

 

[Peebels]

Thanks for the information all. I suspected that you would stack on the roof but was not sure.

Ill follow up your link Paleo and phone them tomorrow. The plans i have use 19mm thick timber and i noticed they dont do it thin so i might need to modify it slightly.

Peebs

 

[BKF Admin]

From the link above,smell that stack:

 

[adri]

Lavers or Duffield if you're in the north.

 

[Tom Bick]

I dont see the problem with a pitched roof most are normally at shallow angles say 8* ok it is a bit more fiddly than a flat roof and if you have many hives to inspect at an out apery then then flat roof is sensible and practical.

I get my cedar from www.brookstimber.co.uk although more of a bulk supplier they are good to deal with.

 

[Peebels]

Thanks again for the info, seam to be getting some place now.

Another quick question though for everyone who has made their own nationals. What thickness of wood did you use? The plans i have stipulate 19mm, this seams slightly thin, what do you think?

 

[oliver90owner]

460 x 460, bee space and frame size dictate the thickness of the wood? If you are thinking plus a mm, OK. But too thick and your frames won't fit or your outside dimensions won't be National size.

Regards, RAB

 

[Hivemaker.]

19mm ........3/4" is correct.

 

[Repwoc]

Original spec for National hive is 3/4in thick timber which is 19mm (19.05 to be exact).

 

[plumber]

18mm ply

 

[thurrock bees]

i use 18 mm ply for brood boxes, 12mm for nuc's ( only used in summer) and 9 mm for travel boxes

 

[Peebels]

Thanks for all the replys everyone. Im seam to be making slow progress but progress all the same. It appears that most places dont stock 19mm and the few that do dont have it wide enough for the pannels on the brood box. Ill keep trying though!

What would my alternative choices of wood be and whats the downside of using something other than ceder?

Ty

 

[MJBee]

There are two "problems" with using material other than cedar:-
1. weight
2. durability
However the extra weight is not all that much and providing you treat regularly they will last just as long. (I'm using summer nucs made of ply which are 10+ years old)
Mike