[efmesch]

It happens to any beek who's in the profession for more than a few years---hives "wear out" (from use, breakage, weathering, wood pests, etc.

What uses have you found for your hive parts no longer useable for bees? :?:

 

[brooksbeefarm]

Old wore out deeps and black comb go into trees in the spring to catch swarms:thumbsup:. I also keep some around to cover gallon jars of syrup that i feed over the intercover. Old deep and med. empty boxes come in handy to set supers on while working hives, found it helps your back. When they start falling apart, they work great for starting a fire in the wood stove.:thumbsup: Jack

 

[riverbee]

what jack said, i do the same, and i use shallow or medium boxes to house insulation that goes over the inner cover, or make vent boxes out of them. i will also staple window screening on the bottom of a medium super and use it to collect scrapings, and when i clean out a dead hive, the debris goes in it. i used to use these too to house hay for insulation in the winter. also, when i am cleaning frames off after extraction or a dead out, it's nice to have an extra empty box to set the cleaned frames in so i can scrape the useable box clean. when they finally fall apart, they go in the fire pit.
how do you use yours ef?

 

[efmesch]

After trying to squeeze every bit of life from my parts, they usually are so unusable that they go directly to the bonfire pit. There is a Jewish holiday (called "Log BaOmer") that falls in the late spring (usually around mid May) during which children build bon-fires. I'm one of the local contributors to the celebrations.:wink:

 

[Hawk]

My wife has confiscated a few of my OLD hive boxes (with chewed up top & bottom corners) to use as small raised-bed planters. Usually for growing individual kitchen herb types in each one.

 

[tecumseh]

old top bars make wonderful entry reducers. I call these Jeffrey Todd entrance reducers since I read this idea in an old ABJ. Jeffrey at least was from Austin and I met up with him on at least one forum.

 

[tmrschessie]

The outdoor wood burner for my fur shed gets any old and discarded wood. Tom