Pallet building

[TwT]

yeah, I see that he says that but that still doesn't look like pressure treated plywood, he does say that though....

[Robo]

I find nothing wrong with the treated wood as a bottom board, bees walk in and up into frames, they spend very little time on the bottom boards anyways.

Bees tend to spend time on the bottom board "washboarding" and dragging their tongues. 

I don't have any facts about using pressure treated, but I wouldn't use it for my kids swing set, and I wouldn't use it for bottom boards either.  Just my personal preference.

[TwT]

well he told me that it was treated plywood, Inwouldnt use it but I do paint my BB's and outer cover solid, the inspectors agree with treated bottom boards, oh well end of story, guest most commercial pollinators have this set up when on pallets....... the bee stores do sale them that way...., new to me, but I raise queens , I'm not a pollinator....

[FordGuy]

well this is an interesting question about the treated wood.  My bees tend to spend time on the bottom board, mostly in shaded bottom corners, that would be the basis of my concern.  I'd be thinking  that the continual tracking through the landing board would track preservative onto comb.  I'm not sure about any of that, but Im also a guy who doesn't use any chemicals besides menthol.  I may be incorrect to have a strong belief that this is UNsafe, but those who are sure it is safe assume to much. I'd rather err on the side of caution.  I give my honey away to friends/family.

[Cindi]

Weird. Coppertox.  That is what is used to treat tomatoes for blight.  Same product?  Gotta wonder.  Have a wonderful day, beautiful life.  Cindi

[Old Timer]

treated wood has arsenic in it. i personally know some people that had an above ground pool and built a deck around it with treated lumber. after the wood got wet the chemical bond between the arsenic and wood was broken and they absorbed the arsenic into their bodies through their feet. they all got sick. after a while the arsenic on the outer layer of the wood will wash away. formaldehyde is also used in treated lumber. try searching the net for the material safety data sheet on pressure treated lumber for other harmful components. i know the little yellow tag on treated lumber specifically says not to use it for BEEHIVES, but doesn't say not to use it for bottom boards.

[CBBaron]

Most treated lumber in the US before 2003 was treated with CCA containing arsenic but since Jan 2004 the EPA has baned its use in treated lumber. There should not be any problem with arsenic poisoning with new wood.
The newer materials used in treated lumber are much safer but I would still worry about using them in a hive. Unfortunately alternative materials that provide the same weathering and strength are much more expensive.

Craig

[Old Timer]

thats' good to know. but unfortunately it didn't help my friends much when the got arsenic poison before that.

[prisoner#1]

Pressure treated lumber is a problem when you cut it

MCQ treated (yellawood) is an irritant when cut, ACQ treated lumber is highly corrosive to fasteners unless you're using stainless

I am partial to woods like black locust, osage orange, hedge, hawthorn and ipe (brazillian cherry), they last
longer than treated wood when in contact with the ground but you dont have the luxury of plywood

ipe is super dense and you have to predrill every nail hole, even pneumatic nailers wont penetrate it

[Nate]

Ipe (Brazilian Walnut) is amazing wood.  Extremely dense.  It's one of the only woods with a specific gravity higher than water.  It weathers really good but you would pay more for it.  I think i'll stick to pine/cypruss sbb on treated lumber stands.

[prisoner#1]

whoops... I was thinking of jatoba, it has very similar qualities as ipe, I was paying $1.20
per board foot. I've been unhappy with what I find in pressure treated the last few years
everyone locally wants to carry ACQ treated lumber, even with galvanized fasteners they
only last a couple of years, stainless get a bit pricey

[saskbeeman]

I'm questioning if the plywood would actually need to be treated?  The parts of the pallet that are on the ground would be advantageous, however the top of pallet/bottom board should be away from the ground and debris, especially if the bees are getting moved often.  I wouldn't have a problem using treated lumber for the structure of the pallet, but wouldn't use it for the plywood and bottom board structure.  Just my 2 cents.

[hankdog1]

treated wood has arsenic in it. i personally know some people that had an above ground pool and built a deck around it with treated lumber. after the wood got wet the chemical bond between the arsenic and wood was broken and they absorbed the arsenic into their bodies through their feet. they all got sick. after a while the arsenic on the outer layer of the wood will wash away. formaldehyde is also used in treated lumber. try searching the net for the material safety data sheet on pressure treated lumber for other harmful components. i know the little yellow tag on treated lumber specifically says not to use it for BEEHIVES, but doesn't say not to use it for bottom boards.

Treated wood used to be treated with arsenic but it's not anymore for the reason your talking about.  Stuff is pretty safe now.