Really excited to be building my first Flow Hive 2+ in WRC.
I plan to oil/varnish the outside with International Woodskin & paint the roof with International Toplac plus (it’s what we sell in the Chandlery!).
My question is, when I varnish the outside, should I varnish the top & bottom edges that sit on top of each other or is it better to leave that natural, same as the inside?
I’m thinking that it makes sense to varnish it but just wanted to check if there was a reason not to.
Thanks.
Welcome to the forum LizSmith.
Varnish is not recommended for bee hives. It can contain chemicals and solvents that are harmful to the bees. Varnish will also promote mold and discolouration because it doesn’t breathe and a beehive - unlike boats - gets moisture naturally on the inside. The moisture cannot escape the non-porous varnish and mold grows.
If the varnish has a polyurethane component it outgasses for a long time.
Better to use water-based clear coating on the boxes and water-based paint for the roof - a couple of coats.
Leave the edges unpainted. The bees will be stuffing a lot of propolis in there anyway, and paint would just give another layer to crack open when doing inspections.
Happy Beekeeping.
1 Like
Many thanks for your reply. That is very useful info.
Woodskin is a microporous oil/varnish hybrid that acts like a skin. It expands & contracts, does not crack or flake, repels water preventing mould & mildew & is not degraded by UV so I thought it would be ideal for protecting the outside.
Point taken about varnishing the edges. 
Welcome Liz,
As with most beekeeping topics, there are different views. I’ll offer mine. Water penetration is the biggest killer of wooden hive ware. The bees propolise the inside to seal any gaps. That propolis doesn’t reach to the outside, so the edges will be unprotected. Water will wick in and penetrate the fibres and rot will set in, unless your hive is western red cedar which is naturally resistant. Either way, I recommend sealing the edges. Keep an eye on the corners where you will use your hive tool to wedge apart the boxes for inspections. Over time the seal can be broken allowing water in.
My preference is hot wax dipping. The boxes I did over 10 years ago are as solid as new with zero maintenance.
Mike
2 Likes
Many thanks for your input Mike.
Maybe I will treat the edges even though my hive is WRC.
Just making the frames up now.
Another observation is that any condensation will collect on the frame rests and in the corner of the boxes. I paint/coat those as well.
Many thanks Adam.
I’ll do those bits as well.
1 Like