The A, Bee, C's of Protecting Your Woodware

Photo Copyright www.sandhillbees.com

Adversity
Hives made of wood are subject to many environmental factors that can decrease their lifespan in the beeyard. In addition to the nicks and scrapes sustained from hive tools and being moved during hive inspections, the wood is exposed to extreme fluctuations in temperature as well as sunlight, rain, wind, snow, and ice. Under these pressures, raw wood will crack and rot in just a few months. Additionally, a beekeeper must be on the lookout for damage caused not by weather, but by insects and other pests. For example, untreated wood is very attractive to carpenter bees who will chew holes in the wood and make their nests inside. Though some wood types such as cedar are naturally weather-resistant, left untreated, they will still deteriorate over time.


Benefits
The benefits of treating your woodware before placement in your apiary are threefold. First, it will be protected from moisture and damage from extremes in heat or cold, and will therefore last much longer, saving you money you would otherwise need to spend on new woodware. Second, treated or painted woodware is much less attractive to insects and other pests such as mice who are adept at chewing through raw wood. Third, your bees will be better protected inside woodware that is sturdy and weatherproof. Additionally, a beeyard with treated or painted boxes is just plain prettier than one with weathered woodware that is falling apart.

Choices
There are several ways that you can weatherproof your wooden hive components. Perhaps the easiest option is to paint them with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) water-based exterior latex paint. Many beekeepers paint their hives white to help with heat reflection in the summertime, but a variety of lighter colors can be used. Make sure to only paint the outside of the boxes so the bees are not directly exposed to the paint and its fumes. Some beekeepers choose to stain their woodware for protection instead of painting it. If you choose to stain, use a high-quality, exterior grade wood stain specifically designed for outdoor use with low VOCs to be safe for bees. Again, only stain the outside of the wood components to decrease exposure to the bees. Both paint and stain will likely require multiple coats and time to dry properly before bees can be placed inside the hive. The third main technique used to weatherproof woodware is called wax dipping. This is when a specific mixture (sometimes 2:1) of paraffin wax and microcrystalline wax is superheated to 160C+ in a special, large wax heater, and the woodware is completely submerged in the wax mixture for 10 minutes so that the water in the wood will boil off and the wax will permeate and coat the wood. Boxes weatherproofed in this manner are dry and ready to use within minutes, however, typically a beekeeper will have to find someone who has a wax-dipping tank and is willing to dip woodware for other beekeepers for a price per item which can vary (ex. $4 - $10/item).

For More Information: https://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/blogs/beekeeping-equipment/painting-bee-hives

---

---

Local Wax Dipping: https://www.rexapiary.com/services-6www.rexapiary.com/services-6