Can i oil a cedar hive

[Nannysbees]

I've had a look through of threads .Am I able to oil a cedar hive and morr importantly can I do it while the bees are in situ as we don't have spare brood boxes to wait until winter for maintenance.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

yes

 

[StephenT]

I use Cuprinol Clear Wood Preserver on my boxes but haven‘t tried it whilst they are on a hive.

 

[victor meldrew]

I've had a look through of threads .Am I able to oil a cedar hive and morr importantly can I do it while the bees are in situ as we don't have spare brood boxes to wait until winter for maintenance.

There are oils and oils , I’d check the contents if I were you .
One word comments I ignore !
what time of day do you propose to do the oiling ?

 

[Nannysbees]

There are oils and oils , I’d check the contents if I were you .
One word comments I ignore !
what time of day do you propose to do the oiling ?

Any time which suits the bees, when do you think?

 

[victor meldrew]

Any time which suits the bees, when do you think?

Any time which suits the bees, when do you think?

I would oil when the bees aren’t flying to avoid bees getting stuck in/on the wet oil!
to block the entrance would give stragglers no option but to land on wetted surfaces ?
I should think the best option would be to black the entrance over night . Oil the hive first thing in the morning ( the oil will soon soak in and any solvents contained will evaporate quickly . Release as soon as touch dry . Should be ok ! you can always test the oil on a bit of cedar to see how it behaves ?

 

[drdrday]

I would oil when the bees aren’t flying to avoid bees getting stuck in/on the wet oil!

Bit tricky this time of year to find five minutes when the bees aren't flying, yet it's dry enough to oil. They're up and flying before 5am when I let the chickens out, and still flying at 10pm when I shut the chickens in. Outside of those times it's dark. They sure are busy!

 

[pargyle]

I've had a look through of threads .Am I able to oil a cedar hive and morr importantly can I do it while the bees are in situ as we don't have spare brood boxes to wait until winter for maintenance.

There is actually no need to oil a cedar hive - cedar contains a lot of natural oils and will last almost indefinitely without any treatment. It weathers naturally to a silver grey colour and once it has got to that stage stays like it.

Oiling will maintain the original cedar colour to some extent but you would need to refinish them every year to maintain the appearance and re-coating will mean scrubbing and lightly abrading the surface before it can be re-oiled.

Why make unnecessary work for yourself ? Paint the roof a different colour if you want an aesthetic change/appearance.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I leave my cedar hives to silver. Much easier than having to clean and re oil regularly

 

[North End Bees]

There is actually no need to oil a cedar hive - cedar contains a lot of natural oils and will last almost indefinitely without any treatment. It weathers naturally to a silver grey colour and once it has got to that stage stays like it.

And if you don't like the silver finish you could always clean it back in the future with oxalic acid. I mean that's what it's sold for, right?!

 

[JOF]

I used tung oil and it really brought back the colours on my silver/grey boxes. It was quite sticky and took a while to dry, but I did do it on spare and empty boxes.
Perhaps you'll need to get the head torch out and paint up when the bees are are

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One word comments I ignore !

Am I able to oil a cedar hive

Yes

can I do it while the bees are in situ

Yes
More than one word to keep the ignorant happy, but succinct enough for them to understand
It also precisely answers the questions asked.

 

[Nannysbees]

Yes

Yes
More than one word to keep the ignorant happy, but succinct enough for them to understand
It also precisely answers the questions asked.

Thank you, I've ordered an extra broodbox so we can remove the pine one over winter to paint and I think we'll let the cedar grow old gracefully

 

[pargyle]

Thank you, I've ordered an extra broodbox so we can remove the pine one over winter to paint and I think we'll let the cedar grow old gracefully

Lot to be said for growing old disgracefully ..... speaking personally of course !

 

[ericbeaumont]

remove the pine one over winter to paint and I think we'll let the cedar grow old gracefully

Painting pine has short-term success and will need repeat prep and paint. Wood breathes moisture and paint will peel eventually.

Why not save the faff and buy a cedar box or two?

There are oils and oils

If you must do it, use raw and not boiled linseed oil, which contains chemicals to accelerate drying.

The outcome of oiling is that in a year or two the wood will go blacker as mould eats the oil; washing in soda and hot water will clean it off, but save yourself work and do nothing to cedar.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lot to be said for growing old disgracefully ..... speaking personally of course !

Snap. By the time you get to our age you can be eccentric without being labelled mad

 

[pargyle]

Snap. By the time you get to our age you can be eccentric without being labelled mad

I work with a whole load of 25-35 year olds ... they just look on bemused as I wander my own way through - saying what I think and doing what I want ... it's very liberating having got to an age where I no longer feel the need to toe the company line or accept what I consider to be rubbish ideas. If management don't like it I just mutter 'age discrimation' and they rapidly retreat. I'm not disruptive - just truthful and forthright ... but my colleagues would suggest that I am eccentric verging on mad ...my family think I am totally mad ...

 

[victor meldrew]

I work with a whole load of 25-35 year olds ... they just look on bemused as I wander my own way through - saying what I think and doing what I want ... it's very liberating having got to an age where I no longer feel the need to toe the company line or accept what I consider to be rubbish ideas. If management don't like it I just mutter 'age discrimation' and they rapidly retreat. I'm not disruptive - just truthful and forthright ... but my colleagues would suggest that I am eccentric verging on mad ...my family think I am totally mad ...

happen you are .
As I walked past a lunatic asylum I heard an inmate cry .
Come inside you silly bugger come inside,you ought to have a bit more sense.
Working for a living ?
Take my tip.
Act a bit silly and become a lunatic .
you get you meals quir regular ans three new suits beside .
thirty Bob a week,no wife and kids to keep.
Come inside you silly bugger , come inside .

 

[Apiarisnt]

I've had a look through of threads .Am I able to oil a cedar hive and morr importantly can I do it while the bees are in situ as we don't have spare brood boxes to wait until winter for maintenance.

Yes.

I use raw (not 'boiled') linseed oil with around 7% beeswax in it. Hives come up a treat, keep their colour. It might even slow their deterioration. I should re-oil them every year, but have been known to forget.

 

[Jules59]

With WBC hives the boxes are protected by the lifts. The lifts can be swapped out for maintenance (repair, disinfect, repaint) with minimal disturbance to the colony.