copper napthenate

[redhen]

hi all. i am new to beekeeping and would like to do it with as few chemicals as possible.

the business that sold me my hives also sold me a bottle of copper napthenate to be diluted 1:2 with turps and painted a couple of times on all wood, except the frames. then inside of hives should be painted with primer/undercoat and the outside with primer and then acrylic.

bees are coming from a different source - although he also recommended copper napthenate.

temps here (south of Sydney, Aust) rarely go much below zero, snow is rare, but summer can go up to 40 deg C in a bad year.

so, my question is, do i need all of that nasty chemical business? can i just paint the hives with white wash, touch it up every year or so and expect the bees - and the planet - to be happy?

thanks

[Michael Bush]

>the business that sold me my hives also sold me a bottle of copper napthenate to be diluted 1:2 with turps and painted a couple of times on all wood

Well, if you don't want any chemicals in the hive there's a good place to start. I wouldn't put any of it inside the hive.

>so, my question is, do i need all of that nasty chemical business?

No. Many of us are keeping bees with no chemicals. Many of us have been doing it for decades. I've used nothing for 29 of the last 34. The first two years I let them scare me into using terramycin. During the first die-offs from Varroa I broke down and used some Apistan three times. Now I'm back to using nothing since 2001. But you will need to take the Varroa seriously. Learn to monitor them. Do SOMETHING about them. Natural cell, small cell, something or they will kill off your hives in about two years.

> can i just paint the hives with white wash, touch it up every year or so and expect the bees - and the planet - to be happy?

Or not paint them at all if you prefer:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#stoppainting

[tecumseh]

redhen ask:
so, my question is, do i need all of that nasty chemical business? can i just paint the hives with white wash, touch it up every year or so and expect the bees - and the planet - to be happy?

tecumseh replies:
well mate most folks don't really know or use white wash here (actually I haven't seen any applied since I was quite small) but yes you can use a mismixed can of exterior paint. paint seals the wood againist moisture (humidity and rain). the copper napthenate is more like a wood sealer/bug deteriant. if you set hives on the ground and had significant turmite problem then the copper napthate might be a good way to go (but if this were the case for me I would likely only apply this product to the bottom side (unused side) of the bottom board.

I would not paint or prime anything on the inside of the hive.

[redhen]

thanks for your quick responses.

michael, aust is still varroa-free (touch wood), so that isn't a problem. i think our main problem is small hive beetle and i have some traps for those.

i love the idea of not painting. i like your dipping plan, but i'm unlikely to do it. is there any benefit in rubbing beeswax into the wood? is the type of wood significant? i say that, having no idea what kind of wood i have, although it looks a lot like that which your hives are made of.

i haven't looked at the wax foundations that i bought yet, but i would guess that they are set for larger cell. can the foundations be neutralised so that the bees can make the cells to their own specs?

Tecumseh, termites aren't very significant here. i think i might get away with elevating the hives.

thanks. happy day.

[Michael Bush]

>michael, aust is still varroa-free (touch wood), so that isn't a problem. i think our main problem is small hive beetle and i have some traps for those.

Then you've got it made.

>i love the idea of not painting. i like your dipping plan, but i'm unlikely to do it. is there any benefit in rubbing beeswax into the wood?

Probably not. They will propolize it anyway.

> is the type of wood significant?

Not really.

> i say that, having no idea what kind of wood i have, although it looks a lot like that which your hives are made of.

Mostly mine are white pine. But there are a lot of different woods as I used to be a carpenter and build a lot from scrap cedar and yellow pine and even plywood.

>i haven't looked at the wax foundations that i bought yet, but i would guess that they are set for larger cell.

I'm sure.

> can the foundations be neutralised so that the bees can make the cells to their own specs?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm

[beegee]

I never saw that copper napthaneate was worth the difference in cost and labor. Keep the boxes repaired and painted and clean and they will last a long time.

[bigeddie]

I never saw that copper napthaneate was worth the difference in cost and labor. Keep the boxes repaired and painted and clean and they will last a long time.

I agree. Copper napthaneate is nasty, read the material safety data sheet. Use acrylic latex on exterior only, no need to do inside. If you keep them off the ground you could leave them unpainted, they will last a long time.
I suggest painting, But then I'm a painter. :)

[tecumseh]

termite could be a problem here if I placed hive directly on the ground. I place my hive on pipe hive stands which does two things 1) it elevates the hive to make them easier to work and 2) it 'somewhat' protects the bees againist fire ants.

[redhen]

>

>i haven't looked at the wax foundations that i bought yet, but i would guess that they are set for larger cell.

I'm sure.


michael, i measured the cells: 5.0mm, which i think should be fairly close to a natural cell size. i'm learning as i go, so i'd be interested in trying foundationless frames when i know enough to start playing with convention.

thanks

[Michael Bush]

>i measured the cells: 5.0mm, which i think should be fairly close to a natural cell size.

I am surprised. I would have expected more like 5.5mm. Yes, 5.0mm is well within the natural range of the brood nest core.

[redhen]

well, this is australia. everything is smaller here. :)