[wltwine]

Hello fellow BKs this is my question would ceder be a good choice for making a top bar hive, I was wanting to build a hive and was wondering about using ceder, I know ceder has good repellent properties for some insects but will it hurt the bees. Any advice would be helpful

 

[Beeslave]

Re: Cedar

Cedar- I've been told by many to not use it. If the bees were ok with it I think we would see hive bodies, tops and bottoms available for sale through reputable dealers.

 

[rwlaw]

T'aint nothing wrong w/ cedar, except the price! I replace exterior cedar trim all the time and the bugs will work it just the same as pine. Shoot I even had termites in a cedar 4x4 post.
The only problem I would have using it in a TBH is w/ that span between the ends it'll surely warp on you.
If your down in NC see if you can get some cypress, that'll last as long as cedar and you can let it weather too.

 

[Beee Farmer]

I had 3 calls last year to remove feral hives from cedar trees, I dont think the bees have any problems with cedar.

 

[Beeslave]

O.K. maybe I was misinformed. I just did what anyone else can do. I "googled- cedar bee hives" and there are suppliers of them.

 

[Beethinking]

We use cedar for all of our hives and hive components and it works great.

Matt

 

[Michael Bush]

I've never bought on purpose to build a hive because of the cost. I have build boxes out of scraps from building sites. Cedar works fine. But so does pine. Cedar would make a difference in how long it will last if it's wet often or in contact with the ground. So lids and bottoms are probably worth the cost...

I know you didn't ask, but no, it doesn't help with wax moths or mites...

 

[charmd2]

Cedar is just heavier than pine, added weight to supers or deeps that are already heavy is a main factor.

 

[Ted n Ms]

Cedar is just heavier than pine, added weight to supers or deeps that are already heavy is a main factor.

I use all cedar and it's about half the weight of yellow pine. The same as white pine. Not heavy at all.