Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[BridgetB]

I have made 5 cedar hives including legs and they are lasting well without treatment. My latest hive is made entirely of recycled wood. I use the 20:1 Linseed oil to beeswax mixture on my bait hives, but they are indoors during the winter.
I wanted to know after several years of use, how the Linseed oil/bees wax mixture is lasting. Is it protecting the feet of the legs? Does it have to be reapplied? When and how do you do that if bees are in the hive?
Thanks, Bridget

[zaunreiter]

Haven't used linseed oil yet, but dipped my topfeeders into ot wax, really cooking them in hot beeswax. It makes the woos perfectly waterproof. For years now. So cooking your hives bodies in hot wax is a real good way to make them very durable.

As I understand, Ickowicz in France does it, too. And Ickowicz is one of Europe's biggest beekeeping supplier.

As I understand the heat drives the wax right into the wood, penetrates and saturates it.

[trekmate]

After four years outside soft wood is discoloured but not rotting (feet are on soil/bark chips and have little damage). I scrape any mildew off and re-coat. The second coat leaves a much darker yellow colour.

If bees are home I re-apply when they are not flying - cool day, early morning, or late evening. Scrape gently and use a level of personal protection you are comfortable with as they may come and have a check on you!

BTW I leave a clear area around the entrance. I've noticed the bees will clean around the entrance (especially above, where they walk before flying) and keep it clean.

[Barbara]

I used normal(not marine) 3/8" plywood (it was just stuff that had been left over from another job or reclaimed.... I can't remember buying it!) for the roof of my hive last year and didn't get around to felting it, so I gave it a good coat of linseed and beeswax and there is no sign of warping or delamination yet and it's been out there all winter and repelling the rain nicely. It will definitely need a second coat this summer though or perhaps I will get around to felting it.
I must confess that I coat the lower section of the legs of the hive in Creocote as it's pretty damp here. I always use reclaimed timber and the legs are most likely going to be the first part to rot as they are exposed more.
That same hive is made from varnished tongue and groove panelling that came out of a shop refit(the panelling was thin so I made it double skin with vertical and horizontal lengths screwed together) and the ends are some old bits of sterling board which has also been salvaged. I sealed the inside with beeswax and the outside with linseed and beeswax. I've used old reclaimed 1/4 inch sheets of MDF for followers, again, heavily painted/sealed with hot beeswax and they are great because they don't warp.

I have another one that is made from a veneered chipboard corner cabinet. That has not been treated at all apart from the legs Creocoted. It has a good overhang on the roof (which is felted), so the hive body is really not exposed to the weather much at all.... an advantage of Kenyan TBHs. It is coming into it's fourth year and still solid so far and the body has not been treated at all. There is very slight breakdown of the chip board where I drilled the entrance holes and obviously broke through the veneer, but it's not causing a problem and I envision at least another 4 years of use before I need to do remedial work..... not bad for something that cost me nothing apart from 8 bolts and a bit of time and thought.

I love the idea of soaking hives in a bath of hot wax but unfortunately, not really practical for the average hobby beekeeper and certainly not for a hTBH. Even just cooking the timber before construction would need a bath tub size container with heater and a very large quantity of wax

[jumbleoak]

[AugustC]

Been fine on the hives I have used it for.