I'm in DC, so the season is winding down and I have no ambitions to start a hive this late, but this weekend I completed my TBH and am staring at in the back yard. Is there any reason I shouldn't coat the undersides of the bars with beeswax and install them, or should that wait for the spring? Mike
I usually do this during the winter but one thing that I think is important is to make sure the wax is very hot along with the wood you intend to apply it to. Cooling wax applied onto cold wood will not soak into it and will more than likely fall off once the bees start to work it. A hair dryer set on high will warm the wood enough when working in an unheated shop. If you are working in a heated room it isn't as important as long as the wood is brought up to room temp.
What kind of guides are you using on the bars? As long as they stick out a bit like a popsicle stick or a wedge, you should have no need for wax. At lease I've seen no difference in comb attachments with or without wax.
Yeah, as long as the candle is beeswax. Just any solid beeswax.
Rub it along the guide, and it gets warm and the rubbing sticks a fine layer to the guide. I understand as Steve, Matt, and others such as Michael Bush say, that you don't really need it, but I also understand that to many - including myself - it just feels better to add some wax.
So if you want to wax the guide, my opinion is that hard wax is the way to go. It uses less, will not come off like melted wax will, and it's way easier to apply. A whole hive's worth of bars can be waxed in a few minutes.
I do the same with the insides of hive boxes and swarm traps. For new wood, I start with a quick once-over with a blow torch to get rid of the new wood smell, then rub rub rub with the beeswax.
I haven't used any wax....just a triangular guide. No problems with combs not being well attached.
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