Wood Preserver

[snooks]

Hi All
About to buy my first hive soon and I was wondering if the outside could be treated with linseed oil or anything similar to keep a more natural look to the wood as apposed to water based paint

 

[alfazer]

Linseed oil is perfect if it's made from cedar. Or you can use any of the natural coloured stains for garden furniture/fences/decks.

 

[snooks]

Thanks for the reply
Didn't think of wood stain might use that instead of linseed oil

 

[masterBK]

Most people with cedar hives do not paint them as cedar contains natural preservative substances within it. However cedar does go grey quickly. I have several cedar hives over 50 years old with no rot at all (although have had to fill in a few woodpecker holes over the years)

 

[Millet]

Buy a painted poly hive. it takes painting out of the equation and they are better for the bees..

 

[masterBK]

There are lots of advantages to using poly hives but in my area the bees collect so much propolis that it is difficult to open them up without damaging the edges (despite copius amounts of petroleum jelly).

 

[Millet]

Try one of them Abelo boxes ...

 

[gbee]

Personally I cannot stand oil finishes on wood. I took a risk and used sadolin outdoor varnish for the outsides of the lifts on my WBC hive. Doesn’t seem to have done the bees any harm. A Matt clear coat of varnish provides weather protection without changing the aesthetic of the wood. Don’t trust me though unless you want to risk poisoning your bees!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Linseed oil is perfect if it's made from cedar.

Eh?! linseed oil is made from....... linseed (dried flax seeds)

 

[Anduril]

Eh?! linseed oil is made from....... linseed (dried flax seeds)

If the hive is made of cedar! Is how it should read.

 

[madasafish]

I paint hives with any available external paint including Hammerite Garage Door Paint .. must be green or brown to blend in and not invite thieves/vandals.

Paint type is the least of a beekeeper's worries - many old hives were dipped in creosote (and left to season for 6 months before use).. so inside and outside were treated.. Bees appeared to survive ...and thrive.

 

[Murox]

Hi All
About to buy my first hive soon and I was wondering if the outside could be treated with linseed oil or anything similar to keep a more natural look to the wood as apposed to water based paint

Cedar wood has natural oils in it, linseed oil would be good to rejuvenate older hives. Linseed oil really MUST be applied to dry timber and allowed to dry before being subjected to damp conditions - otherwise it can remain sticky for a very very long time. Boiled linseed oil contains driers. With oils like linseed the finish is in the wood, with paints and varnishes the finish is on the wood.

As you have not yet purchased a hive yet its worth considering a polyhive. Some are better than others in terms of density of material. I think those produced by Lyson are better than many and I have seen the specs of those available from Abelo and they sound as though they may be of superior quality.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If the hive is made of cedar! Is how it should read.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Cedar wood has natural oils in it, linseed oil would be good to rejuvenate older hives. Linseed oil really MUST be applied to dry timber and allowed to dry before being subjected to damp conditions - otherwise it can remain sticky for a very very long time. Boiled linseed oil contains driers. With oils like linseed the finish is in the wood, with paints and varnishes the finish is on the wood.

As you have not yet purchased a hive yet its worth considering a polyhive. Some are better than others in terms of density of material. I think those produced by Lyson are better than many and I have seen the specs of those available from Abelo and they sound as though they may be of superior quality.

I have a number of Lyson boxes. They are light and strong with hard edges to avoid hive tool damage. My only concern is speculation how wax moth would affect them so I treat the internal surface with B401 each autumn as a preventative measure.
The Lyson roofs are also high quality. I'm not entirely keen on their crownboards and prefer to use polycarbonate crownboards sourced elsewhere.

 

[Ian123]

First off i would never consider painting a wooden hive, the paint even the best is prone to flaking quickly and never gets anywhere near claimed life span, also the prep work to re coat is an arse....I give most of mine a coat with a preserver clear or dark brown outside and top and bottom edges only if they have time to air, and then a couple of coats of Saddolin classic and that over the years really is the best stuff i have found. Any future re-coats and its just a case of stacking up boxes giving a brush off and slapping a 3" brush around the outside. Be aware a lot of the cheap type wood preservers/coatings from the diy type stores(mainly water based) are reall crap and instead of soaking into the wood form a skin that easily peals. I know a lot say cedar requires little if any coating but over the years have seen many boxes split or damp soft corners. You can even feel the weight difference in the damp boxes that have not been coated

 

[ashley hunter]

I wanted to preserve the cedar on my new hive - it was so gorgeous I didn't want to loose the golden colour, and gave it go grey - but I didn't wan to paint .... after a huge amount of research I found some recommendations for Osmo Oil - expensive but bee friendly ... I used it on one hive which has worked well and the bees don seem to mind it either ... hive still looking good

 

[snooks]

Thanks for all the replies
Just had a look at Osmo oil is there any particular type you used or is the only difference the finish (matt,clear etc)

 

[Murox]

Osmo is good stuff. Its plant based like linseed. Osmo just has various finishes available and like boiled linseed has driers. Osmo does contain waxes and white spirit. When I use linseed I usually add white spirit (or ideally real turpentine) to it as it soaks into the wood more readily. Colour and price are the main differences.