# Tung Oil Inside The Hive?



## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

Most of the products labeled "Tung Oil" in the paint aisle at most home centers are not pure tung oil. Tung oil is made from the Chinese tung nut and retail tung oil is as adulterated as Chinese honey. They are a blend of polyurethane, boiled linseed oil, with a bit of tung oil. They may also contain metallic drying catalysts. Once cured it's probably OK but oil finishes take months to cure. Bees will finish the inside of a hive themselves with propolis. Propolis is a natural microbial. Why do an artificial finish over just letting the bees propolize it over time as they will do anyways?


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## e-spice (Sep 21, 2013)

Bees "varnish" the inside as they see fit. I see no benefits in tung oil on the interior - just risk without reward.


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## AvatarDad (Mar 31, 2016)

+++ to what JConnolly said. Most Tung in the big box is filled with drying agents which have heavy metals in them. Nasty. If you can find "real" tung oil, it will cure up completely natural and inert... but they will propolize anyway and just cover up all your work. Just rough up the inside walls with a rasp and let them coat the walls with tree resin. They will be happier and you will save the money. (The rasp is because they will propolize a rough wall a little better than a smooth one). Good luck!


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