From: "Dave Cushman" <dave.cushman@lineone.net>
Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 11:17:04 +0100
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: hive building

Hi Scott

I have used a few odd pieces of oriented strand board as panels in nucs and
roofs.

We do not paint hive bodies in UK as the moisture from inside just raises
the paint in balloon blisters. Any treatment has to be micro porous. (our
weather is wet and our summers can not be described a "hot")

Many of my mating nucs are fabricated using 9 mm "far eastern" ply they are
painted with linseed oil.

The osb items need more coats of linseed but provided they are well oiled
initially they do not fall apart when they get wet.

The only items that I paint are stands and roofs. But if paint works in your
conditions, use it.

A good test for plywood suitability is to take a piece 50 mm x 25 mm and put
it in a saucepan of water and boil it... If it lasts an hour in one piece
then it is good enough to make hives from.

Regards From:- Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping and Bee Breeding, http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman