No, bees do not have a problem with either Eastern Red Cedar or Western Cedar and we use both regularly. In fact many honey bee colonies have been removed from inside cedar trees here in Texas.
This is kind of a loaded question but the short answer is MAYBE. We have had reports of colonies removed from cedar trees that had ZERO mites. However, we cannot say that cedar hives will keep mites away but it could be a deterrent.
As for hive beetles, our cedar long langs are some of our strongest colonies and have very few hive beetles. We tend to believe it is more because they are strong colonies rather than because they are in a cedar hive.
Contrary to popular belief, cedar will certainly rot if given enough moisture and time. Cedar is naturally rot resistant and left alone over time the sun will bake the exterior into a grayish color that many people prefer. If the gray look is not preferred then some type of exterior coating should be applied.
The best sealer is white exterior paint because it coats the wood and provides UV protection and does not need to be reapplied often. However, painting cedar feels wrong on so many levels! We have used Thompson’s Water Seal (water based) and spar urethane and have opinions of both.
We used the cheaper water based version and application was very easy with one coat. We did not really like how it turned the wood a rather bland color…it almost seemed washed out. You can see some of our chicken shed pictures after the Thompson’s was applied. It certainly looks good but not as great as we hoped. Worse is that a year later, it is starting to get splotchy in places and probably should be re-applied. We have one long lang where we used it and it still looks pretty good after a year. Yes, we seem to have mixed feelings about it.
For Layens hives the hive must be perfectly level to get the bees to draw straight comb. It certainly does not guaranty they will draw straight comb but they will draw straight down.
For Langstroth hives and long langs it is not required but we always level our long lang and most of our standard hives.
Based on our experience in Texas this is a personal preference. We can certainly understand the argument for the taller Layen’s frames if you lived in Wisconsin and have very long winters where the bees are clustered for months. However, in Texas our winters are very mild and rarely stay below freezing for more than a week at a time. This gives the bees plenty of opportunity to break cluster and feed on honey frames on the sides…assuming the hive is insulated.
We started with slot entrances and now prefer holes with the metal entrance gates. This way if the colony is smaller you can pinch down the hole to 1-2 bees so they can protect the entrance easier. Plus holes are much easier to cut than slots. However, we can certainly build hives with entrance slots and landing boards if preferred.
Of course for all hive types they make frame feeders that take the place of one frame. The downside to this is that you must open the hive to the bees to refill the feeder. We have changed the lid design on our long langs to allow the use of the round top feeders. They are small enough to sit on the cover boards and still allow the lid to close. Of course you would need to drill a hole in one of the cover boards to allow the bees to get to the feeder. We can drill a hole in one or two cover boards if this is desired.
The directions require that you apply, then sand at 200 grit and repeat for THREE COATS OR MORE, then it looks fantastic. We did this to some nuc boxes (see the langstroth page) and after six months they still look great. We have heard from other woodworkers that it does not hold up over time. This is an oil based product and soaks into the wood and it requires additional chemicals to clean up brushes.
No, legs are not required on any hive. It is a personal preference if you want legs or not. Our prices typically assume you will want legs but will always confirm either way.
The legs will be one of the first things to rot, especially if they are not coated/painted properly. In this way the legs (or leg) can be unscrewed and replaced without damaging the rest of the hive. We highly recommend that legs always rest on concrete blocks/pads to lessen the effects of moisture. If the legs sit in mud for half a year they will rot very quickly no matter what type of wood is used.
One trick we recently used is to apply Titebond3 wood glue or an epoxy to the bottom of the leg…this is the portion that touches the ground. Since the end grain of wood absorbs moisture much quicker than the long grain (sides), we spread epoxy or glue on the end grain to slow that process. No, it is not perfect we are simply trying to preserve the wood as long as possible.
No, due to outrageous shipping costs we do not ship at this time. We offer free deliver up to 1 hour from zip code 78950, which is New Ulm, TX. For longer distances we can deliver for a fee and can provide that during the estimate.
HA! Quite the opposite! Most likely your house has insulation and it works to keep the cold out in the winter and the heat out in the summer. Insulation in a beehive works the same way. Bees try to maintain they internal hive temperature around 95 degree F and the insulation helps them maintain that temperature throughout the year.
We used to add extra ventilation to our hives but the bees kept closing them up with propolis so we stopped adding vents. Honey bees are masters at ventilating their hive and we have found that they are perfectly happy with just the entrance holes/slots and no additional ventilation.
Another thing to remember is that we insulate our hives and extra venting could hurt the bees in the winter. Heat naturally rises and extra vent holes can cause the heat to escape instead of remaining in the hive which just defeats the whole purpose of the insulation.
Many people who ask this question are referring to their standard Langstroth hives which are simply ¾” thick wood. In this case those walls will sweat because of the warm humid air in the hive and the cold air outside the hive causing condensation on the inside of the walls. Insulation creates a buffer between the cold air and warm interior so the walls (or lid) no longer sweat and moisture is lessened.
Please note that we are in Texas and our winters are very mild compared to most of the country. There are many people in colder regions that have proven that insulation does work.
Prices are typically quoted without frames mainly because frame types are a personal preference. We can certainly quote frame prices along with the hive if requested.