Preserving Equipment

I'd like to apologize to my minor reading public regarding the neglect and delinquency, but I'm getting ready for spring.

Do you know how much I hate painting?
This is where I'll begin to present two angles in discussing the most common beekeepers, small operations (hobbyists/sideliners who aren't spending a thousand, or more, dollars on one order), and commercial operations (the guys buying stuff in the 100's of units). There are some options when it comes to preserving your investments in beekeeping; the hive bodies, bottom boards, and tops/lids. Before I go into the ways that woodenware can be preserved, let's discuss the options of wood itself.

Wood density is the best determination for applications and the denser it is, the stronger it is. When it comes to wood types used in beekeeping, there is a lot of debate because every region has different weather conditions and the quality of products varies as well. I'm going to stick to discussing the most common options.

Your Investment
Weather hearty woods:
PROS: Cedar and cypress naturally resist the effects of being outdoors. I'm not an expert in the details but I know anecdotally that both can be effectively used for woodenware without preservation, though cedar is much softer than cypress. I should caution that preserving these woods is still advised as it will prolong their service life.
CONS: Upfront costs could be greater (with volumes less than 10), availability, and the potential that preservation techniques may still need to be used for prolong service life. Cedar likes to split.

Pine
PROS: Availability, bulk pricing is better, and relatively hard wood
CONS: No natural resistance to the elements

Preservation Techniques
1. Painting is the most common and cheapest means to preserve woodenware. One of cheapest sources of paint is to check out the "mistakes" and returns in the paint department of hardware stores. I've also heard that partially used paint cans can be found in thrift stores but I've never tried looking for thrift store paint. If you don't care about the color you can get away with a lot but avoid any dark colors especially black, red, and dark blue, as they will increase the heat absorption.

2. Dipping in preservatives such as copper naphthenate is an option to consider because it will preserve the inside and outside of the woodenware. During the cooler months, moisture will condense on the inside of the hive unless there is a vent near the lid. SEE More information on preservatives and applications here.

3. Hot wax dipping is an old technique which involves boiling a wax/pine gum rosin mixture and submerging the woodenware. This method causes the wax/rosin to be wicked into the wood and creates a barrier to moisture. The wax is typically paraffin or beeswax, one is a petroleum product and the other is a byproduct of extraction. Hot wax dipping has also been shown to sterilize equipment, which is valuable when buying used equipment.

With the last two options, you can still paint the boxes and painting is recommended, by me and others, with the second option.

Let's run through the drawbacks
Painting: requires 3-4 coats of paint and repeated drying periods and does nothing to prevent moisture damage from the inside. While bees will eventually propilize the inside, it's not immediate or complete. Most paint jobs need to be redone within 3-7 years.

Dipping in preservatives: the compounds found in wood preservatives will make their way into the wax and not all are food safe. Copper-8-quinolinolate, aka Oxine Copper, is listed as food safe for incidental contact, but not prolonged contact. Copper naphthenate is recommended to be kept away from food. Once the wood has been dipped, painting is recommended.

Hot wax dipping: this is the most dangerous and costly of the three. The hazard is apparent when you are standing next to a tank, or pot, full of boiling wax and rosin. With an open flame, combustion is more likely. Once the wood is dipped, there is no long term concerns regarding chemical leaching or weather issues. The common approach to hot wax dipping is to have a tank (typically custom made), a mixture of wax to rosin of either 3:1, 2:1, or 1:1, and a heat source (electric is preferred for better temperature control and reduced flame risk). Some have gotten away with using an oven and a roasting pan, which in my mind is risky and tedious. When using a heated tank/pot it's advantageous to do a large volume because there is a warm up period counted in the hours.

Example: Assuming we need 50 medium (6 5/8 inch) boxes (the only regional supplier of cypress hive bodies in the Southeast is Rossman Apiaries) and we are willing to use commercial grade.

Rossman Cypress
$8.84 per body X 15 = $132.60 (~$63 for shipping to Tampa Bay via UPS)
$8.40 per body X 50 = $420 (~$200)
$7.98 per body X 100 = $798 (~$400)
$7.98 per body X 250 = $1995 (~$1000)

Compared to Dadant Pine (shipping is roughly the same; UPS)
$9.60 per body X 15 = $144
$7.80 per body X 50 = $390
$7.80 per body X 100 = $780
$7.65 per body X 250 = $1912.50

Compared to Mann Lake Pine (can't buy commercial in volumes less than 50)
$6.85 per body X 50 = $342.50 (~$350 shipping)
$6.85 per body X 100 = $685 (~$700 shipping)
$5.50 per body X 250 = $1375 (~$1755 shipping)

When you get into 250+ boxes, shipping would be better organized via a trucking company.

Painting (~ 170 sq ft) will require about one gallon of primer for 2 coats and one gallon of exterior grade paint: $40 + lots of time

Dipping in preservatives: $190+ for 5 gallons and $40 paint

Wax Dipping: $2-$3 per pound of wax (buy from your local beekeepers), $1.90 per pound rosin (220 pounds for roughly $1.87 per pound shipped from J.H. Calo); $280 tank with legs and spigot, and $90 propane burner and propane tank: roughly $800

Did I mention how much I hate painting?
When I decided to wax dip, the points that made the decision easy were these:
No petroleum based chemicals or compounds using -cide as a suffix
Speed at which the equipment would be treated
Ability to sterilize used equipment
And most importantly, I hate painting