Using treated wood for hive bodies has always been taboo. I see that Mann Lake is now selling them. Is this a special kind of wood treatment?

By 'treated', I assume you mean chemically treated ?
There are two kinds of chemical treatment which have caused concern in the past: Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) (which turns wood green) - the use of which was banned in 2003 for human health reasons (the arsenic compound).
The other chemical was Methyl Bromide, commonly used as an insecticide to fumigate pallets and timber (lumber) immediately prior to export, the use of which was banned in Europe in 2005.

Wood (timber/lumber) is now commonly treated by heat, marked 'HT' accordingly, and which poses no risks.
LJ

 

Wood (timber/lumber) is now commonly treated by heat, marked 'HT' accordingly, and which poses no risks.

The "HT" treatment (and its required 'grade mark / stamp') is driven by the international effort against invasive pests that might be traveling across international borders inside the wood itself, inside the wood of packaging material like wooden pallets and crates. Here is a pallet company page with more details:

Heat-treated, kiln-dried. Same thing, right? Not quite.

'Heat treatment' kills pests that might be in the wood at the time of treatment, but it is not comparable to other kinds of "treated wood" that is suitable for long-term outdoor exposure or ground contact. Those kinds of treated wood typically have a treatment (pesticide) injected into the wood to kill pests that might enter the wood after the wood has been deployed for its intended long-term use.

From my perspective, "HT" wood is likely to rot as quickly as common kiln dried lumber marked with a "KD" style grade stamp.

 

Copper Naphthenate is a wood treatment used on hive bodies that is effective and safe for the bees. It is applied by brush or by dipping the boxes. It also turns the wood green, then over time the box will turn brown. It is produced in a water base or an oil based material. The oil based is what is needed to be used on bee equipment.

 

Thanks. I put the question to Mann Lake, but have not yet received a response. This is the first time I have seen these for sale and I am curious.

 

Treated wood is currently treated with either Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) or Copper Azole (CA). Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) was banned only in residential products in the U.S. It is still used in industrial products and products such as wooden utility poles.

I have never known (but would like to find out) if ACQ or CA poses any threat to bees. I have heard of copper napthenate being used to treat hive boxes safely. I have not seen any studies.

Personally, I make my bottom boards out of treated wood (either ACQ or CA) but do not make hive bodies from treated wood.

 

Personally, I make my bottom boards out of treated wood (either ACQ or CA) but do not make hive bodies from treated wood.

Realize this is an older thread... Do you seal or paint the PT in any way to keep the bees from touching it?

Building some multifunction bottom board / beetle traps and the prototypes will be part pressure treated since I had a bunch of short scraps. Basically every thing below the screen, no PT above the screen. So just some narrow strips down each side and a slightly wider one at the front to worry about.

And yes, will take pictures start a thread once I get one finished...

 

Here is an old study (1984) that tested CCA and copper napthenate, among others:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj84va3gJH0AhUMSTABHcaeB-UQFnoECAIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fpl.fs.fed.us%2Fdocumnts%2Fpdf1984%2Fkalni84a.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1fWTYVKB-PeJQdZn5ax4A4

 

Interesting. I just built 6 swarm traps with 1/2" treated plywood from Home Depot. I believe it is ground contact plywood.

 

I would definitely use treated plywood to build my swarm traps. First, the bees will not be in the trap for extended periods of time. Also, they will generally not be storing marketable honey in there. If you don't use treated plywood, you will be rebuilding them almost every year. At least in my area.

 

Mann Lake replied that the treatments they use is safe for bees. They did not volunteer what that treatment is.
For my two cents, I will not do it. I believe as wood expands and contracts, absorbs and releases moisture , and bees walk on it and spread it, it will get into the wax , the honey, the bees, and people. What I wish is that every region of America had access to cypress wood. I build my own equipment.

 

I think a lot of things that are considered to be somewhat detrimental to plant or animal lifeforms are so widely distributed and at low levels that we would drive ourselves crazy thinking about it. Not suggesting by any means that head in the sand is the best approach to life but things have to be put in perspective.

If you want to engage in some dangerous exposure to some real bad dudes at quite high levels just go for a spin down multi lane highways. Dusts from tires, road surfaces, petrochemicals, metallics, asbestos, and on an on.

Wood dusts, alcohol, charred meats, sugars, sunlight, nickel, chromium, just touching the surface. Obesity is one of the biggest killers.

I think you would have to ingest an awesome amount of honey to absorb even close to the amount of copper we get all the time from copper pipes.

Lead is one worth being careful with though and a common contaminate with galvanized and soldered items. Hobby crockery has contributed to documented poisonings too from lead.

 

I think a lot of things that are considered to be somewhat detrimental to plant or animal lifeforms are so widely distributed and at low levels that we would drive ourselves crazy thinking about it. Not suggesting by any means that head in the sand is the best approach to life but things have to be put in perspective.

If you want to engage in some dangerous exposure to some real bad dudes at quite high levels just go for a spin down multi lane highways. Dusts from tires, road surfaces, petrochemicals, metallics, asbestos, and on an on.

Wood dusts, alcohol, charred meats, sugars, sunlight, nickel, chromium, just touching the surface. Obesity is one of the biggest killers.

I think you would have to ingest an awesome amount of honey to absorb even close to the amount of copper we get all the time from copper pipes.

Lead is one worth being careful with though and a common contaminate with galvanized and soldered items. Hobby crockery has contributed to documented poisonings too from lead.

I agree. This post just began as an inquiry about Mann Lake marketing treated hive bodies. I was both curious and skeptical.
They are not marketing medium supers that are treated as far as I can see. This just sort of started my antennae buzzing. I try my best to keep as many chemicals as possible out of my hives. Our environment poses a myriad of problems for the bees. Varroa mites alone results in tons of pesticides being dumped into hives. As the mites develop resistance, bees become more dependent. We end up with weaker bees and a super race of mites.
Anyway, thanks for the responses!