After years of searching for a sustainable source of pine, we've found material that's not only suitable for the bees, but is responsible to the environment, handsome, and available at a great value. As always, we are committed to bringing you the highest quality products while staying true to our core values of using sustainable, local materials.
See or buy the Sugar Pine hives here: http://www.beethinking.com/collections/langstroth-hives
We are excited to announce that we will now offer our Langstroth hives using sustainable Sugar Pine sourced fromFSC Chain of Custody suppliers in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s why we are thrilled to be offering Bee Thinking pine:
Sustainability:
A lot of wood goes into making a single beehive. Because we make thousands of beehives every year, we feel a great responsibility to be invested in where our wood comes from. That’s why we turned to The Forestry Stewardship Council’s standards to help us determine a sustainable and local wood source that is ecologically conscious.
Like honeybees, trees are not just economic and ecological resources--how they sustain the biological 'big picture' deserves our consideration.The Forestry Stewardship Council (known as FSC) is a third party certification that currently sets the bar for determining sustainable forest management. It’s an international organization that provides principles and audits to the highest standard of responsible forestry practices and supply chain authenticity. As a result, FSC wood often commands the highest market price due to its consistently high-quality, and being harvested with the least negative impact to the environment and surrounding communities. We believe that by supporting the demand for sound forestry practices in the construction of long-lasting woodenware, we underscore our core value of environmental stewardship and offer products that are in keeping with our customer’s values.
In addition to environmental values, FSC forests are managed for a variety of social values that are deemed important by the local community. For example, FSC audits are concerned with the following issues:
Additionally, reducing our carbon footprint by using local and sustainable materials when possible will always be at the core of our business model. That is why we are using sugar pine from an FSC Chain of Custody supplier in Oregon--just a short trip to our Portland mill.
Size:Did you know that Sugar Pine trees can grow up to 200 feet tall? In fact, they are the tallest and most massive pine tree on Earth! Because they are so large, we make more hives from less trees with less waste.
Quality:Sugar Pine is a fantastic wood, especially for hives. Sugar Pine offers great insulation, has small, tight and infrequent knots, and makes hives that are incredibly stable, precise, and beautiful.
Furthermore, Bee Thinking hives feature quality and innovative craftsmanship. When you purchase a Bee Thinking hive, you are getting one made with sustainable, local wood; one that has sturdy, long-lasting and handsomecomb joints; one that comes with stainless steel screws for durability, inset frame rests for added strength,andclear, illustrated assembly instructions. We even took this all one step further and added optional observation windows to our deep Langstroth boxes-- both in Sugar Pine and in Western Red Cedar.
Even more, we are here for you 7 days a week! Our exceptional customer service team is comprised of beekeeping experts. Whether you need help assembling your hive or deciding whether to feed your bees, you are just a click or call away from our expert and friendly assistance.
Value: While sustainable Sugar Pine is less expensive than our premium Western Red Cedar, it still makes incredibly strong and durable hives, but at a lower price. This is important to us; our mission is to make backyard beekeeping accessible to as many people as possible by providing the best possible hives, customer service, and sustainable practices that we can!
We sincerely hope you are as excited about this huge step forward as we are, and that you enjoy the all-new Sugar Pine hives leaving our mill in Portland, Oregon. Stay tuned for even more pine hive introductions in the coming year!
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