Geoff's comments re wax dipping different timbers are very interesting and pertinent. He said
"I suspect some of the differences in dipping results are to do with the
timber species, and climate.  On this side of the country manufacturers use
hoop pine or radiata pine.  Hoop pine is far superior, in fact, if cut from
old trees and without sapwood, a difficult ask as it is almost
indistinguishable, it hardly needs preserving.  In these two at least, it is
my understanding that the wax only penetrates the sapwood to any extent." 
When I started dipping bee boxes I tested the timber for penetration of the wax by cutting across the grain after dipping for different time periods and then standing the cut end in ink for a short while, then washing and observing the ink penetration. It took between 6 and 10 minutes wax dipping to achieve full wax penetration depending on the source (type) of the pine timber. And yes some timber only achieved striated penetration, presumably into the sapwood only.
For the most part, the bee boxes I have used have been kiln dried pine of New Zealand  origin. Complete penetration in these takes 6 mins, and there is little or no residue of powdered gum exuded. Local WA pine exudes a lot of this residue and has to be scraped or brushed before painting. This timber is also a lot heavier which I consider a disadvantage for migratory beekeeping.

PeterD 

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