Treating wood

[pahvantpiper]

Ok, I'm building a bunch of 4way pallets and would like opinions on the best way to treat the wood that will be sitting on the ground. Copper napthanate, oil paint, boiled linseed oil, or maybe even all of the above? Maybe pressure treated and painted wood is the way to go or use redwood or cedar? I'm even considering buying some of that composite wood/plastic stuff that people use for deck. Pretty expensive but if it would last forever maybe it would be worth it. Anyway, I might do an experiment soaking wood in water with various treatments and see what holds up best.

-Rob

[Michael Bush]

If the bees have any access to it (playing double duty contacting both the ground and the bees) I'd use the copper napthanate. If the bees DON'T have access, I'd use the green pressure treated lumber.

Jay Smith was fond of boiling woodenware in used motor oil. smile.gif

[Sundance]

PQ-80 is fast and effective as well as
water based. I dip my hive bodies prior
to painting. Spendy but goes a long, long,
way.

http://www.loghelp.com/ccorner/cc.html

[Sundance]

Sidebar on PQ-80. Dip the boxes after
you assemble them, it will encourage
warping. How do I know???? :(

[greenbeekeeping]

I have seen some equipment from an old beekeeper where his bottom boards were diesel treated. Basically diesel fuel and used motor oil mixed together. I just bought 30 hardwood pallets that will most likely get that treatment. Also are there other sources of the copper napthanate other than Mann Lake?

[pahvantpiper]

PQ-80, hmmm. Never heard of it but sounds like good stuff. I'm sure diesel and oil would work well too but might be kind of messy.

Thanks for the info.

-Rob

[greenbeekeeping]

Here is a picture of my pallets that I treated before and after. I gave them a good soaking to let it get into the wood. Not really messy although I did get yelled at for smelling like diesel fuel when I came into the house. haha.

Matt


http://www.geocities.com/greenbeekeeping/dieseltreated.html

[Sundance]

Call me overly cautious, but the thought of
diesel fuel and used motor oil sounds a bit
nasty. My understanding is that used motor
oil has a high level of carcinogens. Thats
why I opted for PQ-80 and FDA approved wood
preservative.

[greenbeekeeping]

That could be Sundance. I was just doing what I was taught from others on how to make things last. They don't go on the bees right away they are left to dryout. I keep thinking about making a large dip tank and buying a drum of Copper Nap. to dip pallets and hive bodies in.

[Jeffrey Todd]

Home Depot and Lowe's both carry the copper nap.

[Michael Bush]

If it's in contact with the bees I wouldn't treat with anything on the inside at all, unless maybe boiling in paraffin. If it's the pallet in contact with the ground, then you have to use something to keep it from rotting.

[rainesridgefarm]

Nice pallets can you give us the dimmensions for building them.

[BerkeyDavid]

Nice pallets.

I would be concerned about using the deck material for pallets because of the weight involved.

I am curious how many extra years you think the diesel/oil treatment will give you?

I use old pallets a sign installer puts out for people to take for free as hive bottoms. But I don't do migratory. But I am thinking that you get at least 5 years from an untreated hardwood pallet. Maybe more.

[greenbeekeeping]

Hi there. I don't have the dimensons right now. It is a standard size four way pallet built just like mann lakes, just alot heavier. Yes the pallets are heavy, but if you bump them with the loader they don't break or split like a few of the ones that we got from mannlake did. Sure there might be a few imperfections here and there, but they work good. I plan on getting a 100 of them this next year. Hopefully they even get bees on them. As far as how long the treatment last, I am not sure. We have some bottom boards from an old timer treated like this and they have lasted along time. I am also thinking of dipping in Copper nap or linseed oil.

[rainesridgefarm]

thanks

I took went to home depot and purchased some lumber to build about ten of them. I will see at the end of today how it goes. I got treated 2x4s and will dip the plywood.

[Keith Jarrett]

Just my two cents on this,

I use boiled linseed and 10% mineral spirits.
We heat to 200 degree(hot tank) for about 10 minute dip.Let dry then we use oil base stain, work better than paint.No need to prime.
Keith

[flathead]

The Cu-Nap at my local Home Depot is for fence posts etc. and the carrier(thinner) is not for bee hive bodies but would be good for pallets.

We plan on going with plastic pallets.

I buy my Cu-Nap from these guys:
http://www.coppercarewoodpreservatives.com/

[tecumseh]

sundance sezs:
Call me overly cautious, but the thought of
diesel fuel and used motor oil sounds a bit
nasty. My understanding is that used motor
oil has a high level of carcinogens.

tecumseh replies:
likely a benzene ring, which is very common in petroleum products, is the 'possible' carcinogen. Jay Smith boiled (heated) the very bottom of his bottom boards in used oil to primarily reduce the problems of ants. I don't believe he treated the entire bottom board....

[pahvantpiper]

"We plan on going with plastic pallets."

Flathead, where do you buy plastic pallets?

Thanks,
Rob Bliss

[Gregg]

I use green treated lumber for the 1 x 6 runners and the 2 x 4s on the pallets I build, don't treat the deck (plywood) at all.

A word of caution about plastic pallets (no experience myself, just what I was told from someone who tried some of them): first, very expensive and second, plastic tends to slide on a steel flatbed deck.

[flathead]

Pahvantpiper:

I have a source here(near Baton Rouge) that has used plastic pallets. They get a few now and then and set them aside.

Its a large shipping contractor for one of the local industrial manufacturers.

I haven't tried the pallets yet but bought 20 the other day. I am a ways from setting up migratories but they will keep alright until then.

I gave 10 bucks for those but am working on him to come down some on the price. I think he was selling them on Ebay before.

Gregg:
Yes, they are slick and will probably slide.

Upside is no treating and they can be hosed down for ants etc.

They are black in color, 44"x44" and will be a good looking setup with white hives.