Preservative for my homemade hive

[robthos]

Hi All,

I have just finished the construction of a new hive( in plywood ) and am proposing to Paint it with Cuprinol Timber Care,as a preservative for the wood, but am not sure whether this would be OK for the Bees.

Please can any one advise me if this is wrong and suggest an alternative way of
preserving, I was hoping to avoid painting it?

Many thanks,

Rob.

 

[REDWOOD]

Cuprinol clear used to be OK but I believe they have changed something so not too bee friendly any more. Whatever you decide make sure you give it a good airing for a few weeks before putting bees in it, and seal the open ends well

 

[Peterxix]

Hi All,

I have just finished the construction of a new hive( in plywood ) and am proposing to Paint it with Cuprinol Timber Care,as a preservative for the wood, but am not sure whether this would be OK for the Bees.

Please can any one advise me if this is wrong and suggest an alternative way of
preserving, I was hoping to avoid painting it?

Many thanks,

Rob.

I use linceed oil, used it for years

 

[Karsal]

Ronseal 5 year woodstain. Water based without preservatives to harm the bees.

 

[alanf]

... I have just finished the construction of a new hive( in plywood ) and am proposing to Paint it with Cuprinol Timber Care,as a preservative for the wood, but am not sure whether this would be OK for the Bees....

Ply, even external quality, has gaps between plys that rain seeps into and frost etc delaminates the layers. One precaution is to paint all cut edges with exterior PVA glue.

A few years back Cuprinol certified their clear preservative as safe for bees. Regulations of what could be included changed, so did the formula and they didn't see it as worth getting it tested and certified again. Some have continued using the new product and not reported problems. Usual routine is to paint only the outside surfaces and leave it to dry and any fumes to clear for a week or two. If you have painted glue onto edges, another coat of preservative isn't going to soak into those sealed surfaces, but may help for the rest. On some ply boxes I used fence paint, happens to be the Ronseal version, others use Cuprinol or diy store own brand. Low voletility, some even repaint while the bees are still home. 40 years ago creosote was a common treatment. Everything on sale now is safer.

 

[Norvic_chris]

I've made DIY hives from plywood too and used Sadolin wood stain. One of them has been outside now continuously for 2 years and has not deteriorated at all. It's waterproof (so good at sealing the end grain of the ply all-round) and supposed to be breathable (not much of an issue with 18mm plywood, I suspect!). It also looks good. The downside is that it's a bit costly (it was much cheaper from my local builders merchant than from a DIY shop).

The alternative that I have just started using is Baufix woodstain from Lidl; at £7.99 for 5 litres, it's a fraction of the cost of Sadolin. It doesn't look quite as good (a little artificial, rather than allowing the wood to show through, although it also claims to be breathable) and I've only been using it about a month so can't say anything about its longevity.

Neither product seems to have had any adverse effects on the bees; I strongly suspect that the glues used to make the plywood are going to be more harmful on the inside than the weather sealant on the outside! As an aside, there seems to be much less condensation build up inside one of these ply hives than in a P's poly hive I've been using.

 

[REDWOOD]

Cuprinol Garden Shades I use, no odour water based lasts a few years without repainting and dries in hours

 

[robthos]

Many thanks for the replies.

I am thinking Linseed Oil will be ideal,especially as I have just found a bottle of same among my painting gear!

Thamnks again , Regards to all,

Rob.