Softwood or cedar?

[thomaso123t]

Are there any real benefits of investing in cedar hive? The price seems to be 40% higher than softwood but with little coat of wood stain outside, both should last for years?

Does anyone use soft wood hives? Would you recommend them?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

cedar is lighter (handy especially with supers) is reasonably weatherproof without any treatment. and If you go for 'second quality' flat packed parts (second quality just means more sustainable British Cedar not Canadian and the finish isn't as good) in the sales - which are beginning now http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38011, the savings are substantial.

 

[drex]

I have had cedar hives out all year round for about 8 years now, apart from a little greying they are all as good as new. Never tried softwood hives, but the softwood stands ( home made, treated, all standing on concrete slabs) are not doing so well. Timber these days does not seem to be properly seasoned.
All my hives are flat pack seconds, and not that much more expensive.
I recommend cedar every time.

 

[Vortex]

Cedar or poly any day.
The guy who got me into bee keeping has cedar hives. He made then originally to the Min Agr standard as supplied in their leaflet in the 1960s.. He's just having to do some maintenance on them (recoating with Cuprinol duckwax) as the corner joints are starting to leak.

 

[Swarm]

Softwood supers are fine, they don't stay out all year and they are cheaper. I've had some softwood broods as well and they were OK. Do a good job of joining and treat them and they should last.
Cedar is better though, by far and it smells nicer

 

[madasafish]

Both are wood so inferior.
Why spend more money or an expensive inferior product.?

 

[user 6228]

Both are wood so inferior.
Why spend more money or an expensive inferior product.?

That not necessarily true. To get the same thermal efficiency as poly you can use wood.



It just it needs to be about 100mm thick.

 

[The Drone Ranger]

I have some broods and supers which Stamfordham used to sell
They must be 8 or 9 years old they are made from Russian pine which is fairly dense and knot free
Having said that they were treated with cuprinol clear and then painted with cuprinol colours fence paint
A few have warped at the joins (half jointed) and had to have extra nails put in to fix that

They were cheaper but at the Autumn sale of big T a few years before I bought some 2nd quality cedar broods and supers
They are finger jointed and they didn't need any treatment at all
They had some knots but none of them fell out and all those boxes are still going strong with no maintenance
So I would say cedar
I bought some brood boxes in this year's big T autumn sale British Cedar and the quality is higher now

When it comes to Poly I have 40 or so poly nucs Maisemore and Payne's
Half a dozen Lyson poly nationals and a couple of Maisemore nationals
The poly are much more easily damaged
Even wasps rodents and hive straps leave their mark
Better insulation but that's about it








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[MadAnt]

Softwood or cedar doesn't matter, if equipment treated proper. Oil base primer and two top coats of good exterior semi-gloss or gloss paint will do the job.

Just for the reference, in my area top-shelf equipment made from linden. Next goes pussy willow and poplar. Commercial suppliers using pine or fir.

So, whatever fit your budget is good for you.

 

[thomaso123t]

Thank you

Thank you all for your comments. Very helpful.