Wax Dipping Bee Equipment

It would have been nice if it were taller but it works ok and i didn t have the time or money to get a better one made.

Wax dipping bee equipment.

A small amount of wax may drain from the dipped item. However when apiarists dip their hive parts in molten hot wax it is usually for periods of up to 15 minutes the molten wax consists of 80 90 paraffin 99. Even better it can sterilize equipment including killing afb spores and is a recommended method for dealing with disease risk. The term dip means a brief immersion into a liquid.

I got the tank from a friend who had it custom made. It is the placement of various beehive components or parts in hot molten wax. This process cooks. I was expanding my beekeeping and bought a lot of new equipment so i decided to try dipping in wax and gum rosin to preserve the equipment.

What is wax dipping. I haven t switched to using beeswax because it is so low temp and will get sticky. Coating the wood in wax is beneficial for the bees and the hive itself. This shows how we cook woodenware at 300 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes in a mixture of 20 microcrystalline wax and 80 paraffin wax.

The wax is super expensive but having it full means i can do 6 deep boxes at a time compared to 4 which really makes a difference when you are doing a lot of equipment. Hivefive apiary bee supply llc 149 trident point rd. This process is quick does not require space for drying and should last much longer than paint or stain. Here is a fact sheet from the new zealand.

Wax dipping bee equipment. Wax dipping is an alternative to painting for wood preservation. Fully refined with 0 8 oil content. Dipping is often conducted during the winter months when the active beekeeping season has finished and apiarists have time to attend to maintenance of hive material and other equipment.

The only alternative methods of sterilization are gamma irradiation and complete destruction by fire. Parrafin wax is one of the industrial wax that you can use to dip your boxes in. Melt temperature range from 60c 62c. When to wax dip wax dipping can be done at any time of the year subject to the precautions listed below.

Wax dipping is also an effective way of disinfecting wooden parts and can be used to salvage equipment exposed to foulbrood as spores are eradicated by the extreme heat involved.