The Bees Don't Care: Mixing Polystyrene, Plastic, and Wooden Hive Components

Which polystyrene, plastic, and wooden hive components work together? There may be times when you need a hive component and can’t find a wooden version in stock at your favorite beekeeping supply provider. Or, an alternative version of a product you have always used may hold up to the elements longer than its wooden counterpart and you want to give it a try. Mixing and matching wooden, polystyrene, and plastic hive components and accessories can seem daunting, but we’re here to help!

We headed down to the Betterbee warehouse and tested out many combinations of wooden, Lyson (polystyrene), BeeMax (polystyrene), and Bee Smart (plastic) hive parts to let you know which work together if you want to mix and match.

Let's break it down by the type of hive bodies you are predominantly using:

10 frame wooden hive bodies from Betterbee

Because these industry standard boxes and many of our wooden components are manufactured at our sister company, Humble Abodes, all of our 10 frame-labeled wooden equipment is tailor-made to our hive bodies. There are many snug-fitting options for our Humble box users, but if you are in a bind or just want to try something different, you can also use:

• Bee Smart Outer Cover
• BeeMax Outer Cover for Wood
• Lyson Outer Cover (Fits on the hive body loosely and would need to be strapped down)
• Bee Smart Insulated Inner Cover
• BeeMax Medium or Deep Hive Bodies (While these boxes will overhang the wooden hive bodies, the internal dimensions match, so the bees cannot get in and out through any gaps to the outside)
• Lyson Bottom Board with Reducer (Looks a bit wonky from the outside paired with the wooden hive bodies, but keeps the bees confined)
• Bee Smart Ultimate Robbing Screen

8 frame wooden hive bodies from Betterbee

Like the 10 frame, Betterbee's 8 frame hive bodies are also made at Humble Abodes, with wooden hive components made to snugly and perfectly fit our 8 frame hive bodies. However, there are fewer alternative options for the 8 frame setup, which include:

• Bee Smart Outer Cover (The 10 frame model is adjustable to fit 8 frame hives)
• Bee Smart Insulated Inner Cover (The 10 frame model is adjustable to fit 8 frame hives)
• 8 Frame BeeMax Hive Top Feeder
• Bee Smart Ultimate Robbing Screen

BeeMax 10 frame polystyrene hive bodies

BeeMax hive bodies are known for their higher insulation value than the wooden alternative, which helps keep colonies warmer in winter and cooler in summer. These hive bodies are larger than our standard 10 frame wooden equipment, but the great news is that a lot of Betterbee 10 frame wooden hive components also fit BeeMax hive bodies. And of course, there are also BeeMax-specific components that perfectly fit. Here’s a list of what else works with BeeMax hive bodies:

• 10 Frame Wooden Telescoping Outer Cover
• 10 Frame Standard Wooden Inner Cover
• 10 Frame Deep-Rim Wooden Inner Cover
• All 10 Frame Queen Excluders
• 10 Frame Solid Bottom Board or 10 Frame Screened Bottom Board with Varroa Monitoring Tray
• Wood-Framed Hive Top Feeder (Fits and works but creates an overhand when used with a Telescoping Outer Cover on top)
• Wooden Hive Top Feeder for BeeMax
• 10 Frame Hogg Halfcomb System (Works well without needing to be ratcheted down)

Lyson 10 frame polystyrene hive bodies

Lyson 10 frame hives work best with Lyson hive components, as the system features a series of latches that hold the boxes and components together in the event of bad weather or attacks by bears or other pests. Other components can fit and can work but won't look quite right. Again, the bees don't care how it looks, but the beekeeper might! Here are a few alternative options to use with your 10 frame Lyson hive:

• BeeMax Outer Cover for Wood (Will need to be ratcheted down)
• Our most exciting finding: If you use a 10 Frame BeeMax Telescoping Outer Cover, you can use a 10 Frame Wooden Inner Cover, Double Screen Board, Triangular Escape Board, or 10 Frame Shim but you won't be able to use the Lyson latch system
• 10 Frame Solid Bottom Board or 10 Frame Screened Bottom Board with Varroa Monitoring Tray (Will do the trick but will look strange)
• 10 Frame Queen Excluders
• 10 Frame Hogg Halfcomb System (Will need to use a 10 frame wooden-compatible outer cover; will not work with Lyson Outer Cover)

Lyson 8/9 frame polystyrene hive bodies

Unfortunately, because the dimensions of the 8/9 hive are so different from any other hive components we offer, only 8/9 hive components will fit on these hive bodies. (No other hive has the special interlocking boxes and other unique features that the Lyson 8/9 hive does, making it a great system to try out on its own!)

Take the leap and try something new. You might find your next favorite product in the process!