Sealing a plywood hive

[bee56]

What’s the best thing to seal a plywood hive, paint or oil and beeswax?

 

[theboynelson]

Personally, I would use beeswax and linseed oil, melted together.
It does need to be reapplied nut I'm never happy putting things on the hive that I wouldn't be prepared to put on my own skin.

 

[Little John]

What’s the best thing to seal a plywood hive, paint or oil and beeswax?

On my latest creation I've applied 3 coats of gloss paint externally, with particular attention paid to exposed end grain - which received a sealing coat of epoxy prior to painting.

Internally, I've painted with beeswax - mainly to kill the smell of 'new wood' - in the full knowledge that the bees will be re-decorating the internal area in their own inimitable style.

 

[Silex]

I've been using PVA on my ply. I had a large bottle of old external wood-glue that I just watered down a bit and painted over the top of a coat of Cuprinol. The exposed edges, where ply is most venerable, I treated with exterior wood-glue that hadn't been watered down. I also filled any gaps I found between the layers of ply with glue and after that, I gave it all another coat of Cuprinol!

 

[alanf]

Fr4gile Plan3t do a range of ply hive kits. They recommend sealing the end grains by painting with external PVA glue and painting the outside surfaces with fence paint.

I have made nuc boxes and some other boxes of wbp ply and so far they have been fine with that treatment. I have used the Ronseal and Cuprinol versions but own brands probably work as well. 3 coats gives a reasonably consistent finish and you can recoat affter an hour or so.Using background colours does help them become less conspicuous if that is what's wanted. They might not last as long as cedar and they might need a periodic refresh but I'm happy with the results.

 

[SixFooter]

I use pva on the edges, but nothing else. I tried using gloss paint year 1, but everything I painted fell apart. The finish needs to allow the wood to 'breathe', so I abandoned using gloss paint.

 

[tonybloke]

On my latest creation I've applied 3 coats of gloss paint externally, with particular attention paid to exposed end grain - which received a sealing coat of epoxy prior to painting.

Internally, I've painted with beeswax - mainly to kill the smell of 'new wood' - in the full knowledge that the bees will be re-decorating the internal area in their own inimitable style.

the bees will cover every internal surface with a microscopic layer of propolis, no need to treat internals of any new hive

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Personally, I would use beeswax and linseed oil, melted together.
It does need to be reapplied nut I'm never happy putting things on the hive that I wouldn't be prepared to put on my own skin.

You use a beeswax and linseed oil body rub!?
What are you? - a cricket bat?

 

[ShaneR]

I seal all edges with exterior PVA glue then paint the outside with Cuprinol Garden shades and very good stuff it is too.

As for exterior plywood breathing, does it breathe? seriously it is multiple sheets of wood GLUED together, I reckon that gives it as much chance of breathing as me sat at the bottom of a swimming pool with no breathing apparatus. If the hive has adequate ventilation then you need not worry about the wood breathing

 

[simonrp]

+1 for Cuprinol garden shades, good stuff.

 

[Bates]

We run hundreds ply boxes and osb nucs. We seal all external cuts with waterproof grade external PVA (everbuild we find the best). Along with 2 good external coats of Ronseal fence life (maybe 3 if you are painting as we spray paint). Internal does not need treatment as said above propolis does this job perfect.

 

[Little John]

the bees will cover every internal surface with a microscopic layer of propolis, no need to treat internals of any new hive

Much depends on the wood you're using - the plywood I was using smelled very strongly - it might have been the phenolic-based glue used in it's construction of course - and if I found the smell strong, the bees would have found it over-powering. Beeswax is free, only took 10 mins, so why not make the hive bee-friendly ? They'll coat it, sure, but only if they stay long enough to call the box home ...

 

[bee56]

I was told the hive was constructed from external plywood and I don’t think it’s been treated with anything, I should have bought a cedar hive then there’s no messing about.

 

[Silex]

There's external ply, and there is external ply! Marine ply is the best, no gaps in the layers, and if treated every year or so, it will last for years. However, it's pricey and like everything, you get what you pay for.

The best way to check the quality is to look along each edge of the sheet, the more gaps you see, the poorer the quality. If you see filler has been used just try digging a bit out with your thumb nail, if it comes loose to reveal a gap, you'll know it's only a cosmetic addition applied round the edges to fool us punters. You can also check the surface veneer for bubbling or lifting, neither being a good sign.

 

[alanf]

I was told the hive was constructed from external plywood and I don’t think it’s been treated with anything, I should have bought a cedar hive then there’s no messing about.

Bought? Most suppliers should be careful with their reputation and, as @Bates wrote, there's nothing inherently wrong with ply.

What is loosely called 'exterior' is usually listed as WBP (water and boil proof) although that has been more formally replaced with a standard number EN636-3. http://www.thenbs.com/topics/constructionproducts/articles/plywoodForExteriorUse.asp The standard refers more to the bonding (glue) being water resistant than the timber used. It does expect some protection, such as paint. Even outside, there's a lot of exposed woodwork using it and even the poorer stuff lasts a few years if sealed at the edges and fence painted.

 

[suechick]

I have tried a variety of finishes. including boat varnish, ronseal coloured varnish and the shades stuff with PVA undercoats. I have left the insides.
I won't be able to tell until next year if they have been effective against the weather.
Bees seem happy and they have 'completely' lined the insides with propolis I am very impressed with them.
It looks nice too and is easy to see which hive is which. I'm hoping this helps the bees?

 

[REDWOOD]

Sealing the cut edges is a must, use anything you like as long as it penetrates deep into the wood, garden shades is a brill product, long lasting flexible and breathable, give a good 2 coats job done, remember to leave painted hives to breath a few weeks before using

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Ply Hives

I have use a local ply from a big chain they cut it for free, I have also tried lots of different coats of stuff this is the first year so we will see what happens I have also done one with no coating to compare. I also bought 8 ply hives from fragile planet but for some reason the roofs are going mouldy. They come with a plastic crown board and I wonder if this is the reason for it?

 

[bee56]

If your hive going mouldy can you clean it off with household bleach to kill the mould? It was stored in my garage for 8 weeks so i think it may have been caused by damp.

 

[itma]

I... I also bought 8 ply hives from fragile planet but for some reason the roofs are going mouldy. They come with a plastic crown board and I wonder if this is the reason for it?

1/ Better if the crownboard has no holes.
I expect your plastic is a sheet with no holes.

2/ Then you should have ventilation under the roof (above the sealed crownboard) so that it doesn't go mouldy.
Because of the sealed crownboard, this does not vent the space that the bees live in.

3/ If the crownboard has holes and the roof has no vents, then you will get certainly condensation on the underside of the roof, and consequently mould.

4/ (Standard flat) National roofs should have 'indents' going under the tin, which are vent holes - with insect-proof mesh in there somewhere.
If your ply roof has no such vents, you'll need to allow a little airflow between the hive top (crownboard) and the batten that runs round under the roof. Adding a tiny fillet (think matchstick!) or removing some material in strategic places would allow ventilation.
For clarity, let me repeat - this is venting the space between the crownboard and the underside of the roof -- it is NOT about venting the bees' chamber (below the crownboard) - which should be sealed at the top.