Sustainability
What Hyde Hives Means By Sustainability
The word sustainability is often used vaguely, and with so many murky definitions it can be hard to know what's actually intended. Here is what we mean when we say sustainability.
We don't want to harm the forest or nearby communities while helping bees. We know our customers feel the same way. We source wood from the UK that is responsibly grown and harvested. We believe that our customers care about the environment and are committed to doing their part to help. We think other suppliers should do the same by producing sustainable products.
CHOOSING OUR WOOD WISELY
Here at Hyde Hives, we use three types of wood to make our beehives: pine, English oak, and UK grown western red cedar. These woods are harvested right here in the UK, mainly in Leicestershire, which allows us to minimize our carbon footprint. Pine trees are very large and for that reason, John Muir coined them "King of the Conifers". Pine trees grow very straight, are dimensionally stable (meaning they resist warping, shrinking), and process beautifully through our machines with minimal tearing or cracking, making it the ideal pine species for nesting boxes. English oak also known as the 'Pedunculate oak' because its acorns grow on stalks or 'peduncles', the English oak is a common tree. It displays a broad, spreading crown above thick branches and a trunk that becomes fissured with age. Its autumnal acorns are highly prized by both people and wildlife - the former use them for fodder for pigs and the latter often store them for the long winter ahead. Its wood was traditionally used for building ships and houses, and making furniture.. Western red cedar is a premier beehive material. Native to the Pacific Northwest but also grown in the UK, western red cedar is rot resistant, stable, lightweight, has tight straight grain, and insulates better than pine. It is revered for its beautiful grain and coloration, and due to its decay resistance, doesn't require paint in the elements. If left natural, it will age and patina to gray.
USING EVERY SCRAP
We work extremely hard to use every scrap and shaving left over as we create hives. We use these pieces to produce one-off birdhouses, mason bee houses, wooden feeders, and extra cedar shavings for quilt boxes. We are always working to develop products and accessories our customers ask for, in a way that utilizes every bit of the wood we’ve brought in, and in keeping with the design aesthetics we are known for. We also use all of our wood shavings as bedding for our animals.
