A valid question that is for sure and thank you so much for sparking conversation on this thread, have you got an issue with ants? There would be a risk of losing bees that either fall short of the landing board or if there is any attractant in the oil. With a new hive they might be more inclined to explore around the hive, and this could risk them finding the oil and falling in. An established colony with this added afterwards is not likely to locate it. Unless it were to partially fill with water in which case they might stop there in an attempt to feed. It will be interesting to here an update on this practice.
We have fixed the ant issue with the oil initially in trays around the legs of the hive but that was killing too many bees so have removed the trays and replaced with smaller stee cans and that looks to have done the trick.
Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around the base of the pot. Ants have difficulty crossing this sticky barrier.
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