Dear Trevor,
 
Thanks for your information.
 
Best regards.
 
 
Martín Braunstein
Malka Cabaña Apícola
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
 
----------
> From: Trevor Weatherhead <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Paraffin wax for preserving bee boxes
> Date: sábado 2 de agosto de 1997 4:24
> 
> There was work published by Kalnins and Detroy in the late 70's in the
> American Bee Journal ( I think) that showed paraffin wax was not very
> successful as a preservative.
> 
> Here in Australia, there have been beekeepers who have used paraffin wax
for
> preserving bee boxes but they did not last more than 4 or 5 years.  There
are
> several factors to look at when it comes to judging how long something
can
> preserve a bee box for.
> 
> Firstly, there is the natural decay hazard existing in your area.  If it
is
> not high, then even untreated timber will last a long time.
> 
> Secondly, there is the natural durability of the timber being used.  Here
in
> Australia, natural occuring hoop pine used to be used for bee boxes. 
This has
> a lot higher natural durability that the plantation grown hoop pine which
is
> the most common timber used nowadays.  There is also plantation grown
radiata
> pine which has a very low natural durability.
> 
> I have been told by beekeepers who visited New Zealand many years ago
that the
> beekeepers were first treating their boxes with copper naphthenate before
> treating with paraffin wax.  This is why the wax solution was green. 
There
> has been an article published in Australia that says that boxes treated
with
> copper naphthenate should not be hot wax dipped in paraffin.  It is
something
> to do with the volatiles produce by heating the copper naphthenate.
> 
> In summary, our experience here in Australia is that in high decay hazard
> areas, hot wax dipping of boxes with paraffin wax does not extent the
life of
> the box very much.
> 
> Trevor Weatherhead
> AUSTRALIA