# non-toxic hive paint/protection?



## space bee (Jan 16, 2006)

Just built my first hive, and would like to protect it with something natural/non-toxic. Any suggestions? Does anyone have experience with linseed oil? Other oil? Wax?
Thanks!


----------



## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Some paints are approved for "food contact".


----------



## Sasha (Feb 22, 2005)

You can use linseed oil.But the the problem is you have to do it every year.


----------



## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>You can use linseed oil.But the the problem is you have to do it every year.

That's only if you're a model beekeeper, an upstanding citizen, conscientious, fastidious in every way, and without sloth. Otherwise, one coat of linseed oil is good for a lifetime!

Linseed oil is of course very good for wood. So good in fact that you can just pretend to treat your hives with it and they'll last longer. If you go so far as to actually put some on them, who knows how long they'll last! The only downside to it is that it looks awful, even worse than untreated wood and you're likely to get complaints from the neighbors or your spouse about what appears to be a small third-world country slum in your backyard. The effect is enhanced by not mowing the grass because you don't want to cut down the forage, using flattened tin cans or duct tape to patch holes in the boxes and other cost-savng efforts like reusing last year's tar paper for winter wrapping. Open feeding with rusty old 55 gallon drums or used 5 gallon plastic pails enhances the effect. All this because you decided to treat your hive bodies with linseed oil.

Has anyone any idea how many lins died to make a pint of linseed oil? I don't, was just wondering


----------



## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>That's only if you're a model beekeeper, an upstanding citizen, conscientious, fastidious in every way, and without sloth. 

Thank you George, but now you sound like my mother









>one coat of linseed oil is good for a lifetime!
Colony lifetime = 1 to 3 years
Hive's wood lifetime = maybe 10 years
Beekeepers lifetime = 100 years?

>idea how many lins died to make a pint of linseed oil?

Silly, the stuff comes out of the ground (oil wells). A lady, named "Lin" makes its (her last name is really spelled "Sead").

Want to buy a bridge?


----------



## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>Thank you George, but now you sound like my mother

Doh!

>Silly, the stuff comes out of the ground (oil wells).

No! Refined petroleum? Say it isn't so! I thought it came from trees, like turpentine or something. I guess some research is in order- always a good idea when made to look stoopid by a fastidious mite counter









>Want to buy a bridge?

Not today, I'm investing all my available cash in a lin farm.


----------



## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

Hah! Dave you was misinformed:

"Linseed oil, extracted from flax seed, is one of the most useful natural oils. It is used as a preservative for wood, concrete, and an ingredient in paints, varnishes, and stains. As if that wasn't enough, it is also used in soaps, inks, and in the production of linoleum! Note that the first three letters of linoleum are lin... for linseed!"

Course, you can't believe everything you read on the internet... and who knew concrete even needed a preservative?


----------



## Bob Russell (Sep 9, 2003)

The best linseed oil is produced here in New Zealand.Read more here about The Good Oil:

http://tinyurl.com/j5t4h 

We have brood boxes that were treated with just linseed oil 15 years ago.We also have brood boxes wax dipped 40 years ago (dated inside box).We do have boxes made from Macrocarpa that need no treatment what so ever that will never rot provided they do not come in direct contact with the ground.Then there are our native timbers like Kauri,Rimu,Totara that also need no treatment.During the war years many beehives in New Zealand were also made from butter boxes produced from(Kihikatea or New Zealand white pine)non tainting.

Just a word of warning if treating with linseed oil.

NEVER lEAVE OILY RAG IN SHED WHERE TEMPERATURE RISES (spontaneous combustion burnt a beekeepers shed down just a couple miles away from me after treating hiveware with Linseed oil.

[ May 06, 2006, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: Bob Russell ]


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>NEVER lEAVE OILY RAG IN SHED WHERE TEMPERATURE RISES (spontaneous combustion burnt a beekeepers shed down just a couple miles away from me after treating hiveware with Linseed oil.

I've noticed that some linseed oil seems to react chemically with the rags and cause this. Other brands don't seem to. I've wondered what the difference is. But you do not want to put the used rags anywhere they will not be safe bursting into flames.


----------



## wayacoyote (Nov 3, 2003)

>one coat of linseed oil is good for a lifetime!
Colony lifetime = 1 to 3 years
Hive's wood lifetime = maybe 10 years
Beekeepers lifetime = 100 years?

Off-topic comment:
Recently, a doctor on the radio answered the question regarding the longevity of heart transplant patients. His sincere answer, "There's no reason a person with a transplanted heart can't live out the rest of their lives."

I would say That's Great News!

Waya


----------



## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Using "normal" beekeeper logic, I reckon since Linseed oil is a "natural" product, it must be a good mite treatment, too









Again, George has got it right, "Course, you can't believe everything you read on the internet".


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Hive's wood lifetime = maybe 10 years

I've got some 32 year old boxes with bees still in them. They are looking a bit worse for the wear, but they are still doing their job.


----------



## electricbluelizzy (Mar 29, 2006)

Hey, check out www.milkpaint.com. All natural paints come in lots of lovely colors! I don't know about their preservative properties, but they sure are nice paints.


----------



## Scot Mc Pherson (Oct 12, 2001)

I just use barn and fence paint. Its like $50 for 5 gallons. Its latex based and it does have anti-microbial agents, but I did the research and it won't get into your honey. Its in too small a concentration to effect anything except something that literally tries to grow and live on it.


----------



## cphilip (May 25, 2006)

On an almost similar note...

The Solicitor commenting on a recent Murder case here said "We have determined that the murderer was the last person to see her alive". 

Now... thats brilliant. 

I used latex. But am looking around for a clear finish for a Cypress made English Garden Hive... for show ya know. Any suggestions?


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

How about melted beeswax.







It's a wonderful preservative for wood.


----------



## Curtis (Jun 25, 2005)

Boil in parafin wax.
Curtis


----------



## cphilip (May 25, 2006)

Now that's a thought!

I don't suppose I could get lucky enough to find anyone that has a picture of a Bee's wax finish onto natural wood... like Cypress?


----------



## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

Here you see 40 years old boxes. I made them year 1966. Wood has one layer of outdoor latex.

Thin layer is important that moisture comes out from wood.

Paint is important that all kind of dirty and honey from hands does not go inside wood.

Boxes are only tools, not show busines.

If you like nice hives here is excample:








.


----------



## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

Nice hive
http://www.photostranger.com/gallery/gallery_russia/yaroslavl/images/008yaroslavl01h.jpg
.


----------



## cphilip (May 25, 2006)

Those are nice.... and so are the Hives... 

Is anyone painting insides of boxes? I was not... and am not.... 

I think for this one 8 frame garden hive I just going to stick to exterior latex. Might do something witih a color though. Going with paint lets me forgo the expensive woods too.


----------



## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

NOW . . . THATS a HIVE!


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Is anyone painting insides of boxes? I was not... and am not.... 

Never.


----------



## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

>Is anyone painting insides of boxes

The idea is that you may clean inner walls with gas flame.
.


----------

