The Wood Makes It Good
Wood species matters
White
Pine.
The
price
of
wood
has
gone
up
consideably
in
the
past
few
years.
SPF
(spruce,
pine,
or
fir),
the
industry
soft
wood
standard,
is
easy
to
work
with
but
is
the
least
durable
wood
to
use
for
bee
equipment.
If
the
finish
is
not
properly
applied
and
maintained,
then
the
wood
begins
to
split
and
rot
in
a
matter
of
years.
If
nails
are
left
exposed,
they
will
start
to
rust
and
discolor
the
surrounding
wood,
leading
first to mold, then rot.
Premium
Pine,
or
radiata
pine,
now
available
in
home
centers,
has
a
beautiful
grain,
but
is
unstable.
It
will
cup,
warp
and
twist
quickly
in
humidity
and
temperature
variations,
and
makes
trueing
the
size
and flatness of components difficult.
Southern
Yellow
Pine
,
is
readily
available
and
is
a
common
and
sturdy
construction
material,
but
it
does
not
work
well
with
fine
detail.
It
is
very
heavy
wood,
and
has
large
grain
that
leads
to
checks
and
splits.
Treated lumber is made from yellow pine.
Cyprus
has
been
an
regular
upgrade
for
stock
wooden
ware
at
many
bee
supply
houses.
It
is
naturally
rot
resistant,
durable
and
lightweight.
It
holds
up
well
to
any
paint
finish
and
has
a
beautiful
grain
pattern
when
left
natural.
Unfortunately
cyprus
can be more difficult to acquire.
Western
Red
Cedar,
or
Eastern
White
Cedar.
Most
cedar
siding,
interior
paneling
and
appearance
boards
found
in
lumber
yards
are
one
of
these
types
of
cedar.
It
is
a
soft
and
lightweight
wood
and
is
naturally
rot
resistant.
The
softness
of
the
wood
make
it
easy
to
mill
but
less
durable
in
constructing
bee
components
which need strong corner joints.
Eastern
Juniper.
This
wood
is
similar
to
cyprus
and
has
beautiful
straight
grain
and
is
very
durable
when
used
outdoors.
It
tends
to
be
more
expensive
out
of
the
naturally
rot
resitant
woods
and
can
be
more
difficult to find.
Eastern
Red
Cedar
is
a
species
we
have
recently
started
using.
It
has
the
beautiful
natural
red
and
white
color
variations
you
see
in
some
of
the
photos
on
this
page
and
the
finished
hive
on
the
first
page.
Red
cedar
is
used
for
fence
posts
on
farms
because
it
is
readily
available
in
many
areas
and
is
rot
resistant,
even
in
ground
contact.
With
a
good
finish,
this
durable wood should last indefinately.
Other
Hardwoods.
Almost
any
stable
hard
wood
species
would
make
a
good
choice
for
building
bee
hive
components.
Woods
like
oak,
walnut,
cherry
or
pecan
would
work
well
if
finished
properly.
The
drawbacks
of
these
woods
are
availability
in
the
sizes
needed,
the
costs,
and
their
weight.
We
would
welcome
the
opportuntity
to
use
any
appropriate
wood to help further customize your hive.
What do you want in your back yard?