Melville Kayton wrote

> I have been recommended to treat the hives by dipping
> them into a heated mixture of creosote : linseed oil @ 50:50 (hot enough
so
> that a vapour starts appearing on the surface),for ten minutes.  My
question
> is, what wood is used to construct your hives and is it a hardwood?  Is
> linseed oil enough or should I add the creosote?  Untreated pine wouldn't
> last very long at all and I am aware that linseed oil adds strength to
wood
> but does it protect it from wood boring insects and fungi?

Our experience here in Australia is that linseed oil is not sufficient to
protect your bee boxes against decay (rot) or borers.  This is because we
have a high decay hazard because of the temperature and humidity factors.
We use pine for our bee boxes.  It is either the native hoop pine
 Aracuaria cunninghammi) or the exotic radiate pine ( Pinus radiata).  These
grown as plantation timbers in Australia.

We use copper naphthenate at a concentration of 1% copper to soak our boxes
in for a minimum of 8 hours.  These have to be dried for about 10-14 days
before they are painted.  The boxes are usually soaked in the flat before
they are assembled.  Some have tried wax dipping with paraffin and micro
crystalline waxes as a preservative measure but it does not work in our
climate.

I have seen boxes dipped in creosote and they seem to have lasted.  However
they are messy to handle and the creosote can burn your hands.  The creosote
used was the old type and not the newer formulation.

For convenience and results, I would suggest you use copper naphthenate.  Do
not use it as a higher concentration than 1% copper otherwise the copper
will concentrate on the outside of the box and the paint will not stick to
it.  We use mineral turpentine to breakdown the copper naphthenate from the
5% concentration we buy it in.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA