Plastic Supers Good/Bad?

[Jarhead]

http://www.simpsonsbeesupply.com/
I'm thinking on trying a few because I like the idea of not having to paint or falling apart over time.

[bee crazy]

Hey Jarhead, you know that looks a lot like those milk jug case with out the bottom. But they deform in the sun. I wonder how different these are. But they would be lighter than pine...I wonder if anyone eles has these.

[Jacmar]

I myself use Pine lumber for my boxes not only for lightness but also a warm barrier in the winter with just a black paper cover.

My question would be how the plastic shell would transfer the cold right  into the hive. Wood with it's porous features act as a insulation factor and plastic being a hard substance I feel would transfer the cold very quickly.

Plastic I feel would be great maybe in a southern area of the US where the weather and temperatures do not go into the low temperatures we get here in Canada.

Thinking in reverse how would a plastic case transfer high heat and sun temperatures in to the hive. Just think of how hot plastic components in your car or articles laying in the sun get.

Thinking out loud.

Jack

[danno1800]

I tried a couple last year just because I try everything new. They are pretty UV resistant, unlike the milk cartons someone mentioned. They do have one drawback that I've found so far: they do not EXACTLY fit with existing wooden supers. There's no gap, but the curved corners do stick out and are not square like the wooden supers. My bees had no reluctance to draw out plastic frames in plastic supers. I also tried a mix of plastic & wooden frames with wax foundation. That worked OK also. When I mix plastic & wood frames, I do every other one. I hope that helps! -Danno