Dadant US Migratory Super - 25 mm Solid Pine Wood

22 mm lasts a season; 25 mm lasts seasons — the reinforced super for the serious migratory beekeeper.

🌡️ Thermal inertia — why those extra 3 mm matter

Pine wood has a thermal conductivity of ~0.12 W/m·K —a very good natural insulator, comparable to mineral wool. Going from 22 mm to 25 mm (+13.6% thickness) translates to greater thermal inertia: the hive buffers daily cycles (cold night / warm day) and seasonal peaks far better. In an inland overwintering scenario with -5 °C lows, the extra wood mass keeps the cluster on average 2-3 °C warmer. In the critical band where bees burn energy just to avoid freezing, that difference translates into lower stores consumption and more bee mass reaching spring.

🚛 Transport stress — why thin supers give up

Typical failures on migratory supers aren't from beekeeping use, they come from transport cycles: vibration at 80 km/h for hours, shocks on loading and unloading, strap compression on stacked 250-300 kg loads. The 22 mm version fails two ways: joint fatigue (interlocked corners opening up) and wall warping (super loses its rectangular shape and stops stacking properly). The 25 mm takes both better: more wood mass = more bending stiffness, and deeper joints harder to prise open. Not magic — materials science.

🔨 Solid pine, interlocked joints, linseed oil — honest build

Solid pine wood —no glue-laminate, no plywood—, assembled with mechanical interlocking joints on all four corners. The joint carries the load; the fasteners just lock it down but don't bear weight. Finished with one coat of linseed oil: feeds the fibre, lets it breathe, doesn't interfere with the hive's internal climate. No synthetic varnishes or paints that could transfer compounds to honey or wax through frame contact —a basic rule too often skipped on cheap gear.

📐 48 × 17 cm, 8 frames, real compatibility

Outer format 48 × 17 cm, compatible with Langstroth and Dadant Trashumancia hives —the most common migratory combination in Spain. Ships with 8 straight wired frames, 30 mm top bar, ready to fit foundation and hit the season without the wire-threading step. The wide top bar gives solid support on trolleys, pallets and vertical-loading systems. For the lighter standard version, reference 010209 (22 mm). The matching 25 mm brood box is CAM-CRIA-DAD-25MM; the full pack (brood + super + top + inner cover) is COL-DAD-25MM.