Wax Dipping hives- Sourcing Timber for Hives- Ply for Hives? help appreciated!

[Kirsten_Redlich]

@Dee

Melt 4½oz. of beeswax in double pan and then add 1 pint of proper turpentine, not substitute. Raise temperature to about 80C/180F.

In another pan, preferably with a pouring lip, dissolve ½oz. of soap flakes in 1 pint hot water. Adjust temperature to 80C/180F.

Remove from heat.

Start stirring the wax with a hand whisk at slow speed… (I use just one of the whisks and I heat it up so that the wax doesn’t solidify on it immediately.Very slowly pour the soap solution in (slow like you were making mayonnaise)

Keep stirring it for a while till you get a good emulsion.It should keep forever in jars

It’s an absolute faff doing it but it produces some great stuff that cleans and polishes in one go…excellent for furniture too

Thid is Dee’s recipe from thread Exterior Hive Protection.

There were others that had used different types of wax, I think one being paraffin