hives in attic

[thinkharder]

I managed to get free hive parts that had been stored inthe attic of a 200 year old house for decades. The new house owner thinks they may have been up there for fifty years or so. Everrything seems standard size, but five of the telescoping covers are fitted with thick canvas painted white, rather than having the typical aluminum. This canvas is really thick. Anyone heard of hives covers fitted out like this? The wood of these covers is heavy hardwood. The hive parts were hand made accept the frames, which were the kind that use wires.

[Eaglerock]

Yes I have a few old covers that are heavy as well. They were nice when I used them because I never had to worry about the wind blowing them and never put a brick on. Canvas was used long before aluminum...so yes they are old. I have heavy covers that are aluminum, but the wood is heavy.

[RayMarler]

I bet they are closer to 100 years old than 50 years, maybe more.

[Hobie]

They used canvas for decking on smaller old wooden boats. Properly maintained (paint), it's quite durable.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I would find a collector and sell the old stuff and buy new with the profit.

Someone, perhaps a museum, would really enjoy having those old covers and you would really enjoy having some new ones that will last longer. And you get to save some history as well.

[Troy]

I'm curious why you think new equipment will last longer?

Is the older equipment standard size? I ran into an old honey super that was a bit shorter than my new ones. I thought it was a fluke, but maybe the size has changed a litlle over time.

[thinkharder]

Here are some photos I took of these hives.

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/th...eragain/images

One shows an unpainted canvas cover, which is now hiding inside a hive to prevent it from getting wet. Another shows a corner of the cover alongside another cover that has aluminum and also some weird material painted white. Not sure what this material is. And then there's a close up of the weird material. Also there's an image of what might be a candy board. It has an aluminum back but I photographed the inside, which has a thin white cloth beneath the bars of wood. And there's the inside of a super.

Something to note, there were no inner covers in the pile of equipment. Not sure if this was because they were with other equipment that may have been in an old barn that collapsed to the ground some ten years earlier.

Anyone know when canvas covers were last commonly in use in North America, especially Canada?

The darkling beetles have nothing to do with the hives. Those are feeder insects for a lizard.

[thinkharder]

Forgot, but they are standard size on the insides. My new frames fit. My husband refused to let me take the old frames home (in case of disease, though they were as dried out as you can imagine), so these were left behind.

There's a close up of the metal of a queen excluder in the set of images too.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I'm curious why you think new equipment will last longer?

If the canvas was water treated and is now dried out it may only hold moisture and rot the wood. The old wood being completely dried out may rot sooner than wood that has been kept hydrated or protected with paint or preservatives.

[thinkharder]

I'll have to repaint all of them as quickly as possible then. Thanks for the warning.