Hive wood treatment once and for all!

[bjosephd]

Ok… I've googled this to death and looked back through the archives and I just want to simplify and clear this up once and for all, particularly as I am now playing around with making bits and pieces and will be woodworking with pine not invincible cedar. I'm no carpenter and can neither afford cedar, don't want to screw up with an expensive wood, and B&Q et al have tons of lovely shapes and sizes of pine.

So, what I think I have simplified it down to is the following with regards to bee health and safety (regardless of wood preservation)...

...is the following fundamentally correct.

You can treat the exterior of your hives with ANYTHING as long as it is PROPERLY dry when the bees move in.

Do NOT treat the inside surfaces of the hives with anything.

THE END

(It seems many in the past and in Africa treated their hives with 'old skool' Creocote and once dried the bees didn't flinch)

Judging when something is properly dry however is tricky… maybe leave it in the bathroom over night and see how it smells when you open the bathroom door in the morning!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

they still use creosote out in Africa (well SA definitely).
I would also try and find a proper local builder's merchant for your timber - miles cheaper than B & Q

 

[chrisb]

b&q big time expensive for wood

Creocote is modern alternative to tar creosote, the latter would kill bees when wet.
when dry as wood preserve its hard to beat, look at all the old wood railway sleepers, but would never use !

best i have seen is when they cook the boxes for 10 min in hot paraffin wax then paint them while still warm

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

they are using the old style proper creosote out in Africa

 

[madasafish]

Ok… I've googled this to death and looked back through the archives and I just want to simplify and clear this up once and for all, particularly as I am now playing around with making bits and pieces and will be woodworking with pine not invincible cedar. I'm no carpenter and can neither afford cedar, don't want to screw up with an expensive wood, and B&Q et al have tons of lovely shapes and sizes of pine.

So, what I think I have simplified it down to is the following with regards to bee health and safety (regardless of wood preservation)...

...is the following fundamentally correct.

You can treat the exterior of your hives with ANYTHING as long as it is PROPERLY dry when the bees move in.

Do NOT treat the inside surfaces of the hives with anything.

THE END

(It seems many in the past and in Africa treated their hives with 'old skool' Creocote and once dried the bees didn't flinch)

Judging when something is properly dry however is tricky… maybe leave it in the bathroom over night and see how it smells when you open the bathroom door in the morning!

Up to a point..

I currently use Aldi's Garden Paint £7.99 for 2.5 litres. Ideal for wood and poly.

BUT I paint the inside of poly feeders with masonry paint.

My typical timescale from painting to use is 4-20 weeks...

 

[Millet]

I wonder if the old creosote would help with varroa because it does with red mite in chook sheds.

 

[bjosephd]

I wonder if the old creosote would help with varroa because it does with red mite in chook sheds.

Innnnnteresting...

 

[bjosephd]

I'm looking at a thin layer of cuprinol wood preserver and then satin yacht varnish (matt seems not available)… trying to get a simple solution for a natural look without coloured stains. But as madasafish says… I'm probably looking at a good month or so for fumes to disperser suitably. So any emergencies are going to end up being some ready to rot pine! Best get some preps and building in for next spring already!

 

[charlievictorbravo]

One thing that I have used to "paint" the INSIDE of home-made plywood hive (heavy by the way) is propolis varnish, made by tipping all of your propolis scrapings into a jar of metholated spirits (at a guess, I would say 1/3 propolis by volume to 2/3 of meths) and shaking vigourously every time you walk past it. Stradivarius used a similar concoction to varnish his violins.

When left to settle, the mixture is "painted" on the inside of your hive, which is then left somewhere warm for the metholated spirits to evaporate. One or two coats should be enough and the smell of the propolis is not un-natural to the bees.

CVB

 

[alldigging]

Innnnnteresting...

Just nasty stuff.

http://www.netregs.org.uk/library_o...rdous_materials_topic/wood_preservatives.aspx

 

[bjosephd]

Just nasty stuff.

http://www.netregs.org.uk/library_o...rdous_materials_topic/wood_preservatives.aspx

Indeed… I don't think anyone is arguing that it's 'nice' stuff.

 

[bjosephd]

I wonder if the old creosote would help with varroa because it does with red mite in chook sheds.

I think it probably helps with varroa like a flame thrower does!

 

[chrisb]

they are using the old style proper creosote out in Africa

Wow, got to jump through loops to get it here ! bet there hives last a bit

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Wow, got to jump through loops to get it here ! bet there hives last a bit

No messing - when you buy the hives you can opt for bare wood or ready creosoted at a few rand extra - bees don't seem to mind it at all.

 

[Poly Hive]

I was given a tea spoonful of very odd looking comb honey years ago and as it neared my nose I thought hmm stinks of... then immediately thought urrrrg spit it out it burns... yep recently creosoted hive and oh dear it was toxic stuff.

PH

 

[chrisb]

I wonder if the old creosote would help with varroa because it does with red mite in chook sheds.

think it might efect more than the mites. lol

 

[Honeybeeco]

they are using the old style proper creosote out in Africa

That's so true. I have a beekeeper friend whom goes to visit family a few times a year and tells me about SA beekeeper tails.

We still have some of my grandads pine hives that were creosoted over 40 years ago and are still going ( and we've never touched them ). Infact I think most bee keepers used the genuine ' good' stuff in days gone by.

Nowadays I use exterior Danish oil, linseed oil ( can't remember which type) and I've also dipped them in wax. We even protect our cedar hives to maintain the built in oils as the driving rain up here does affect all wood eventually.

Just make sure what you use is well dried before use.

Andy.

 

[misterbee82]

Okay looked up creosote and that's some very potent nasty stuff

 

[Swarm]

And the best wood treatment ever.

 

[yeogi75]

proper creosote is no longer available its a substitute now, I've been using a tar paint thinned down with sprits to make it thinner to soak in , and the bees are not bothered by it