About Wax-Coated Beehive-What you want to know

Wax coated beehive waterproof style

First. About wax-coated beehives

In fact, the history of the use of boiled wax beehives in my country is not long. In the past, my country adopted a large number of native methods for beekeeping, generally using bee barrels, and they did not go through the process of boiling wax. After the live frame culture technology entered our country, boiled wax beehives began to appear, and the price was slightly higher than that of beehives without boiled wax.

Second, on the pros and cons of wax-coated beehives

The boiled wax beehive has been soaked in beeswax to eliminate the bacteria in the wood. The best point is to remove the original odor of the wood. In addition, a layer of beeswax is formed on the surface of the wood, which leads to the service life of the wood. Even further back, this is the good side of boiled wax beehives. The boiled wax beehive also has a bad side. Because the boiled wax beehive is soaked in beeswax, the sealing is good and airtight. Many friends think that the boiled wax beehive can easily cause the humidity in the beehive to be too high. If you want to talk about the disadvantages of the boiled wax beehive, maybe This is the biggest disadvantage.

Third. About the beehives that have not been boiled wax

In contrast to the boiled wax hives above, the unboiled beehives are likely to contain odors that can easily trigger bees to escape the colony, and the wood may contain bacteria that are harmful to bees, which is for new hives. Generally, beekeepers will not use new beehives for beekeeping. Most of the beehives without boiled wax are exposed to the sun and rain to achieve the purpose of sterilization and deodorization.

Fourth, the purpose of wax-coated beehives

    The purpose of wax-coated beehives is mainly to fill the density of wood fibers, so that the structure of the beehives is more compact, rain-proof and anti-corrosion, preventing ants and insects from easily entering the beehives and invading the beehives; increasing the use of beehives. To save beekeeping costs, the working conditions of the protective hives must be poor due to frequent transfers. But it should also be noted that the use of boiled wax beehives to raise bees must not be cultivated in direct sunlight, because this type of boiled wax beehives have strong heat absorption and diffusion heat dissipation. The temperature is so high that the swarms appear to be fleeing.

     Beehive waxing is one of the measures for beehive anticorrosion and protection of beehives, and beekeepers at home and abroad have adopted it. By applying wax, the wood fibers of the beehive are filled with wax, which can reduce the water absorption of the beehive and improve the water-repellent ability of the beehive, keep the beehive dry to avoid mold parasitism, and achieve the purpose of anti-corrosion and protection of the beehive.

     Beehive waxing generally involves dipping the entire hive parts in liquid (melted) beeswax, paraffin or a mixture of beeswax and paraffin. The specific method is: use a metal container larger than the beehive box as a pot for melting wax and dipping wax. Put the wax raw material into the pot, heat it to 160-204 ℃, then immerse the box body or other parts that need to be waxed in the molten wax for about 5 minutes after the surface has been polished with sandpaper, then pick it up and set aside for 12 hours to let it cool down. Finish waxing the part.

    When applying wax by dipping, care should be taken that the beehive parts should be sufficiently dry. If the parts are not dry, the dipping wax will seal the moisture in the wood, causing the wood to rot and damage. At the same time, the surface of the parts to be waxed should be cleaned, especially the used or regularly waxed parts of the beehive should be removed from the surface of propolis, dust and other dirt.

     There are two main types of newly bought beehives, one is the boiled wax beehive, and the other is the unboiled beehive. Both types of beehives have serious odor and bacteria problems, which are the most feared by bees.

     One, bacteria

    New beehives are processed layer by layer, whether it is boiled wax or not, there will inevitably be bacteria left on the beehives. New beehives are not necessarily made of new materials, and no one can tell how long they will be stacked. The beehives sold will not be sterilized. Although some have been boiled with wax, after high temperature, it is hard to say what kind of wax is used to cook them. Not only does it not have the effect of disinfection, but it may also increase bacterial infection.

     Second, the smell

• 1. Cooking wax beehives, the wax used to cook beehives is not pure beeswax, as long as people who know about beeswax know that the price of a pound of pure beeswax is about 50 yuan, if it is used to cook beehives, a beehive can absorb at least one About a kilogram of wax slurry, but the price of boiled wax beehives is only 10 yuan more expensive than that of unboiled beehives, which is not in line with common sense. Pure beeswax has a strong fragrance. A pungent odor.
• 2. The unboiled beehives, that is, the original wooden boxes, the so-called drying boxes, and the newly made beehives also have a pungent odor, which is the reason for the wood. This smell is resisted by the bees.

    Not everything is as new as possible. The same is true of beehives. If new beehives are not treated, they are directly used to house bees. This odor will seriously affect the survival and development of bees. Bacteria will induce diseases of bees. It will also cause the bees to escape. Sometimes the bees get sick or fly away, and they don't know what caused it. So how to deal with the odor and bacteria of the new beehive?

For the treatment of new beehives, there are four methods to remove the odor of beehives, as well as sterilization and disinfection, and the effect is better when used together.

• 1. Sun exposure, when the weather is fine and the temperature reaches above 30 degrees, the new beehives can be taken out and exposed to the sun. Repeated exposure to the sun for more than a week can remove the odor and also play a role in sterilization and disinfection.
• 2. Burning, use a flamethrower to burn the inside and outside of the beehive, which can disinfect and sterilize, and also eliminate the odor of the new beehive.
• 3. Soak in potassium permanganate. The new beehives bought are basically disassembled. Do not assemble first. Mix water with potassium permanganate, soak the board for about 3 hours, and then take it to dry. It must be dried. It can be effectively sterilized and disinfected when it is dry and assembled, and the odor can also be removed.
• 4. Apply wax, use your own pure beeswax to coat the inside of the beehive with a layer of beeswax. The fragrance of beeswax can completely cover the odor of the beehive, which is beneficial for bees to live. Sterilization and disinfection need to be used in conjunction with the first three methods.

Summary: For the use of new beehives, for the stable development of bees, don’t be lazy. The steps of this operation are the same. Even if you didn’t have the habit of dealing with new beehives in the past, don’t take chances. One more defense, one more security.