Subject: Super protection

From: [email-masked] (Francis Miquet)
Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 02:09:47 -0400

It's my first year building hives. It may sound frivolous but I would like
to preserve the natural beauty of the wood. 

I realize it is customary to paint hives white but I was wondering if
anyone could reccomend a varnish, shellac or other transparent finish?

Is there a preferred wood preservative?

I live in CANADA so it would be useful if someone could indicate to me
products available here.

Thanks

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From: [email-masked] (BusyKnight)
Date: Tue, 07 May 1996 10:38:22 GMT

>to preserve the natural beauty of the wood. 
All wood (exposed to the 'elements')  weathers out grey over time.

>anyone could reccomend a varnish, shellac or other transparent finish?
Any treatment like this will only delay the effects of weathering (not
stop it).   Being of the old school, I think boiled lin seed oil is
hard to beat.

>Is there a preferred wood preservative?
Probably the best to use is 'Spar Varnish'.  The product will be
called "spar" varnish - no other name is the same (i.e., doesn't
have the word "poly-" anything in its name).

For best results, you'd better plan well ahead of the time that 
you'll need the hive bodies as both of these will require several
weeks to prepare.

Boiled lin seed oil takes a long time to dry (even under low humidity
conditions - they don't call it 'oil' for nothing!).  Also, you don't
want to put on more than one coat IF you're planning to paint the hive
bodies with something else.

Spar varnish will dry very hard and crack with weathering IF you
don't thin it down with a paint thinner and let the first coat you put
on be more like a 50% / 50% mixture.  This will help with the brittle,
cracking problem of spar varnish (may not completely solve it).
You want that first coat to soak into the wood (actually, I also thin
down the first coat of boiled lin seed oil, too).

I have used both of these products on hive bodies and even dipped my
frames in the lin seed oil without any harm to the bees.  The main
thing is to just allow plenty of time for the woodenware to dry. I
usually prepare my woodenware in the fall and let them dry over the
winter and not use it untill the following spring.

Good luck to ya,
BusyKnight
Dallas, TX