Crownboards

[Red Bee]

Does anyone varnish the tops of their crownboards or treat with anything like it?

 

[Black Comb]

Not me, never seen the need.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Me neither. My crownboards can be used either way up, so I wouldn't really want varnish or anything on either side.

 

[susbees]

Was wondering about painting a verdant spring mural on the underside to keep their spirits up in the long, dark months

 

[countryman]

why would you want to paint it for when not expsed to the outside and the bees do it for you

 

[Luminos]

Was wondering about painting a verdant spring mural on the underside to keep their spirits up in the long, dark months

 

[Skyhook]

Does anyone varnish the tops of their crownboards or treat with anything like it?

As far as I can see, you'd just increase the chances of condensation.

 

[Poly Hive]

Why would you have condensation on top of a CB? It's got 2" of insulation on top of it hmm? It does aye?

PH

 

[Arfermo]

Since a crownboard disintegrated due to rot I always varnish top and bottom and have never lost another. Others that were showing rot I treated with a wood sealant and varnished. As for condensation in winter (in summer I ventilate) that is what the bees access if they need a drink when it's too cold for flying.

 

[itma]

Since a crownboard disintegrated due to rot I always varnish top and bottom and have never lost another. Others that were showing rot I treated with a wood sealant and varnished. As for condensation in winter (in summer I ventilate) that is what the bees access if they need a drink when it's too cold for flying.

Rotting suggests its getting very damp.

Condensation. I thought that if there was one place that you didn't want condensation, that was above the cluster, on the crownboard!
Condensation on cold walls or metal fittings (floor mesh?) isn't going to bother the bees nearly as much as condensation dripping onto them.

If the crownboard is rotting, that sounds like a symptom of a deeper problem.



Just taken advantage of 14C, sunshine, light wind (and bees flying, with at least 2 different pollens coming in), to quickly swap in my new polycarb crown board. (Didn't varnish it ...)

 

[luckydunny]

As per Dave Cushman I vaseline both sides of the CB rim to reduce propolising sticking effect and thus no sudden jarring on inspections.

 

[Black Comb]

Anyone else notice that the 6mm crown boards supplied by T'es warp easily?
(they came with the hives when I started out)

 

[Arfermo]

Rotting suggests its getting very damp.
QUOTE]

Yes - from condensation in untreated wood!!! That's why I now protect the wood and ventilate as appropriate.

 

[itchyhives]

Peter i've noticed the only 2 crown boards i've ever shop bought have warped, since then I have made my own and never had a problem. Not only that If you buy yourself a decent sized sheet to make them from you can make a load. Never have enough crown boards. Hope to make up a few similar to Poly hives this winter.....never treated mine either.

 

[richardbees]

varnishing would make the wood impermeable and encourage condensation.

I've got glazed crown boards and even with the tray out on omf I always see water droplets.... until I put a matchstick at each corner

re susbees idea of painting a ceiling mural for their winter delight - Van Gogh's "sunflowers"?

 

[oliver90owner]

Does anyone varnish the tops of their crownboards or treat with anything like it?

Does it really matter? Does it really make any difference?

Think glazed or plastic crownboards, or even poly roofs. No condensation if some insulation above. The wood ones will eventually get covered with something. A coat of varnish will neither be here, nor there. There are much more important things to consider than varnishing a crownboard! As for matchsticks.....did they have them on the Ark?

 

[susbees]

As for matchsticks.....did they have them on the Ark?

If you really believe that then can you perhaps explain how a queen bee (sat on the ark all alone) and a drone (survival time alone away from workers maybe 20 minutes) came to produce all the honey bees we have now....?

 

[oliver90owner]

Noah a smoker? Wooden boat and all that. Lucky he didn't set fire to it!! But I suppose it was raining continuously for forty days and nights.....but it must have stopped raining quite a while before all that water could run away through the drains. Must have been a big boat, too, enough food (for how long?) to feed all those animals. Or perhaps they hadn't all evolved back then......Then again, how did he collect them all(from Australia per eg)?

Some unanswered questions here. I am beginning to doubt the validity of the whole thing.....matchsticks under the crownboard, too. Ha ha.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

.....it was raining continuously for forty days and nights.....

aka british summer

 

[Mandeville]

Anyone else notice that the 6mm crown boards supplied by T'es warp easily?
(they came with the hives when I started out)

Yes! And so do the varroa boards