I am receiving a new top bar hive tomorrow and in the past we have always used white paint to coat the hives. But I have heard about using a stain made from propolis and alcohol that works really well.
Has anyone tried this method?
Peggy
no but I can see how this would work really well considering proprolis isnt bothered by water.
Does proprolis dissolve in alcohol well enough to make a stain out of it?
Quote from: dlmarti on April 04, 2008, 04:03:48 PM
Does proprolis dissolve in alcohol well enough to make a stain out of it?
I would think so, you need to use 90% pure alcohol. That's how I made my propolis tincture. However once the alcohol evaps off the propolis is still sticky....
I personally would not use propolis in a stain for the hive, but rather dip the entire hive with the wax stuff they sell at Mann Lake.
I know a beekeeper that mixed propolis and acetone to make a stain. He did the inside of his supers and his frames. He claimed the bees were drawn to the smell and found the new equipment more inviting.
Hey,
I made a not bad finish dissolving some propolis and beeswax in turpentine.
Soaked into wood well and dried hard
cheers
peter