Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[Safronsue]

Is regular wood glue ok to use for glueing on guide strips to bars? Also, I obtained some beeswax today but have no linseed as Phil recommends but plenty of Virgin olive oil. Would this be a suitable substitute to coat the interior and get rid of new wood smell? I was thinking of heating the two together to make a loose mixture. Or just rub the block of wax over everything?

[rmcpb]

Regular wood glue (PVA) is OK to use for your guide strips.

As for coating the inside of the hive, I don't put anything on the inside of my hives and the bees use the boxes quite happily.

Cheers
Rob.

[R Payne]

Linseed oil if very different from olive oil. Linseed oil will cure (polymerize) while olive oil will go rancid.

You can use just the beeswax or you can let the bees take care of the inside.

The outside is a different story and that depends on how rot resistant the wood you used is. It may need a coating or may not.

[CeeBee]

I use nothing at all on the inside, and an appropriate wood-preserver on the outside - I want the outside the remain resistant to the elements, without me needing to make a new hive after it rots - and I know the bees won't care about the outside.

[Safronsue]

ok thanks. I will do what has been tested and just rub with bees wax. it smells so nice anyway.

I take your point on olive oil going rancid but i think that's when it is in concentrated form, once applied to wood the antiseptic nature of wood takes over. it's a definitely a good wood polish with the wax.

thanks for the input. I'm getting excited at the prospect of finishing my hive and am now working on a bait hive just in case the bees on our almond trees like our garden.

[catchercradle]

I make a skin balm using olive oil, beeswax and essential oils. It lasts a long time without going rancid. Long enough that I reckon the boxes would need another treatment before that happened.