# Is the BeeMax hive worth it?



## Sbrock

A BeeMax Polystyrene Hive lets your bees spend more time raising brood and collecting nectar instead of heating or cooling the hive. Durable, Well-Ventilated, Cooler in Summer, Warmer in Winter, Proven Design, and Testing. Expert North American Construction. We recommend painting your hive and super with latex paint. BEEMAX Hive contains: 1 Hive Cover, 1 Bee Max Inner Cover, 1 Standard Hive Body, 10 Beeswax Coated EZ-Frames, 1 Ventilated Bottom Board Ship Weight Oversized 30lbs.


I'm thinking it's about as sturdy as your average grocery store type foam cooler... I've never seen one personally. I need to come up with two hive relatively inexpensively to save a couple feral colonies from the exterminator. I've been working with one in the remnant of it's tree (see http://www.smthreepines.com/hive.html) and the other will remain untouched until spring. Are these a halfway decent investment, or should I just see if I can scrape up enough funding for a couple wood hives?

Thanks.


----------



## alleyyooper

I have seen them at ANR week in Lansing for a couple of years now. They look stronger than the normal box store cooler.
They are used a lot in Finland I am told but can't say that isn't any more than hear say.
Would I by them? NO, I don't think you can get the life out of them you do a regular wood box.

Try building your own hive bodies. You could just use a rabbit joint for starters and the lumber prices at the box stores have came down over $3.00 since spring.

 Al


----------



## foxtrapper

I've got a couple of polystyrene hivetop feeders. Boy, the carpenter ants and wasps put holes and tunnels into them in nothing flat. As in under 24 hours. I wouldn't go with polystyrene hive bodies myself. Especially when they don't cost any less than the precut wooden ones that you just nail together.


----------



## makeitdolou

I have two polystyrene hives and four wooden ones. The polystyrene are breaking at the joints and break easily when you pry the frames up. I also had an animal dig into the entrance and smash the polystyrene down to make a bigger opening. 
Rosie


----------



## offGridNorthern

I have the BeeMax hives and I like them. They are lighter in weight and make it easier for me to move boxes. I use a frame lifter (not sure what the correct term is) rather than the hive tool to remove frames and I am careful using the hive tool to disconnect boxes. 

The biggest plus, living in Canada, is that I don't have to go to the trouble of moving all my hives together and then wrapping them with Styrofoam and black plastic in hopes of making it through winter. They do quite fine just sitting as they are.

I have dropped an empty box and broke it... the lesson I learned there was when assembling, glue not just the dado joints but also between. The break was easily fixed with glue. Good as new!

I have not had them infested with ants or wasps. I do not have mites in my hives so can't speak to that issue.


----------

