664 



G Iv V: A N I N G S IN B E E C U L T U K E 



NOVKMIiKR, 1920 



S| FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



give all new hives two or three coats of 

 paint, and there are excellent reasons why 

 three coats may be more economical than 

 two. 



A good painter told nie some years ago 

 that one reason why three coats are a far 

 better jirotection than two, is, that if only 

 two coats are applied, tlie high points on 

 the more or less smooth wood are poorly 

 covered, and soon become exposed to the 

 weather, by the disintegration of the lin- 

 seed oil in the thin coating of paint which 

 covers them; bnt, by adding a good third 

 coat, all are so well covered that these high 

 points cannot soon carry moisture into the 

 wood. Here it is well to say, that in most 

 cases cheap paints are a snare and a delu- 

 sion, and so are substitute oils. 



But the best of paints, especially white or 

 of light color, goes all too soon, particular- 

 ly in the arid regions; and one reason why 

 the best paints hold so poorly on beehives 

 is the excessive moisture within the hive at 

 times, which works thru the wood, swells it, 

 and loosens the paint, both by the stretch- 

 ing incident to the increase of width of 

 swollen lumber, and the tendency to loosen 

 and destroy the oil in the paint by reason 

 of the presence of moisture and air. 



Several writers have suggested the itjiint- 

 ing of the inside of all hives, or coating 

 them inside with paraffin, in a measure to 

 stop the absorption of moisture from with- 

 in. The idea is a good one. 



Kecogni;^ing the paramount importance of 

 economy and utility, I have devoted some 

 thought and effort toward a solution of the 

 problem — better preservation of hive i)arts, 

 with, if possible, greater economy. 



Perhaps a recital of some things tried 

 may be of interest and save others needless 

 experimentation. Some years ago, I con- 

 ceived the idea of immersing hive bodies 

 for a few seconds in boiling paraffin. Tlie 

 hot paraffin soaks far into the corners and 

 ends of the boards, and sufficiently into the 

 edges and the sides, and for about two or 

 three years makes a good preservative, tho 

 the hives for a year or two are rather slip- 

 I)ery to handle. The heat of the sun 's rays 

 drives the paraffin into the wood, so that 

 in three years the hives look almost as dark 

 colored as those not painted or coated. 

 Where the sun's rays fry the wax into the 

 wood, and largely away from, the surface, 

 the surface may be in fair condition to re- 

 ceive a coat of paint. It is possible that 

 there is more or less actual evaporation or 

 disintegration of the paraffin. 



Perhai)s the hives might be dipped in a 

 thin white paint to give a light color, then 

 when dry dipped to advantage in boiling 

 paraffin. Some have advocated the use of 

 products such as carbolineum, creosote oil, 

 creosota, etc.; but all, I believe, have an 

 obnoxious odor, and all give a dark color 

 unsuitable for single-walled hives. 



While visiting Thomas Chantry a few 

 years ago, the writer was told of a formula 

 used somewhat in Utah, and this too was 

 tried here. The first coat is composed of 

 separator skim milk and portland cement; 

 the second coat, of linseed oil and ocher. 

 The hives so painted show fine results in 

 part, but there is a marked tendency for 

 the paint film to scale off corners and edges 

 in large scales. As in cement there is an 

 alkali destructive to paint oils, perhaps the 

 first coat, when dry, could be dipped in a 

 solution to neutralize this alkali, re-dried, 

 and then the finishing coat applied with 

 better results. 



Years ago, a "cheap paint" was describ- 

 ed in the Keview. I lost the formula, but 

 made up something somewhat similar, and 

 boiled hives in it, applying a second coat by 

 hand to the outsides only. They are light in 

 color and the compound may prove good, tho 

 being compounded without any particular 

 knowledge of paint chemistry, etc., it is 

 doubtful. 



A former heljter, who had worked in a 

 factory where agricultural implements were 

 made, told of their method of painting. The 

 first coat was made by diluting good paint 

 with half naphtha, into which all wooden 

 parts were dipped, the other coats being 

 ap]>lied with a brush. 



This method of applying the first coat, 

 by dipping into the tliin, naphtha-diluted 

 ])aint, probably secured better penetration 

 of the first coat than is usually secureil, 

 and if so, would favor the retention and ad 

 herence of the paint film, with conseciucnt 

 greater durability, to say nothing of the 

 saving of time. Even the thin coating of 

 paint, so secured, on the insides of the hives 

 would help in preventing the hive-moisture 

 from soaking thru the wood and destroying 

 the paint on the outside of the hives. As 

 no naphtha is here obtainable, I have been 

 unable to test the plan. 



I owe to Mr. Simmins of Texas the eco- 

 nomical plan of boiling bottoms or covers 

 in tar or asphalt roofing paints; and all 

 bottoms will be so treated hereafter, as 

 there results a greater saving of time, and, 

 no doubt, the bottoms will be far more 

 durable than when paint is used. 



One can use a double flat cover with air- 

 space, as used by Mr. Simmins, a single flat 

 cover with a substantial inner cover, or a 

 telescope lid, preferably of cypress, redwood, 

 (>)■ cedar, pro\iding an air-space above a 

 substantial inner cover, and by any of these 

 plans, there is no trouble with the black 

 lids causing overheating of the colonics. If 

 black telescope covers are used with quilts, 

 doubtless overheating will result. 



The writer black-boiled 30 telescope 

 covers and then used them in a location en- 

 tirely without shade, over inner covers % 

 incli thick, with a %-inc,h air-space between 

 inner and outer covers, and a ventilating 



