I want to build my own top feeders. I know that the joints will filled glue and caulted, but what do I use to line the interior to make it water proof that won't kill the bees. What do you paint the inside with to seal the interior, not just the joints.
i just caulk and paint with latex. some people paint melted bee's wax. others use marine grade varnish
Nothing. Put a plastic (bottom of a milk jug) tray into your feeder, or one of the aluminum backing pans. That way you do not need to worry about sealing it or it leaking all over your bees WHEN it does start to leak. Easy to clean and replace if needed as well. When the black mold starts to grow in the feed just pull the pan and put in a new pan then refill with feed. Clean or replace the old pan you just pulled and get it ready for the next swap.
Just my $0.02
Stung
What kind of feeder are you making? Because you mentioned joints I was assuming the miller top feeder. This is a link to the miller feeder plans on beesource.
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/miller-type-feeder/ (http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/miller-type-feeder/)
I have about 25 of these. One thing I did different from the plans is to cover the en tier top with 1/8 wire. Not just the center. This keeps robbers from squeezing in if your cover has any gaps. Yes they do get some mold in them but mold doesn't bother bee's. It bothers people. Alittle bleach water will take care of it if you want. I dont bother. The +'s to this design are you can open them up with out protection to fill. They hold a couple of gallons at a time.
variable do you have bee's yet?
You don't paint it with anything. The wood doesn't leak. Seal the joints with silicone and forget the rest.
Quote from: danno on April 08, 2014, 08:35:29 PM
variable do you have bee's yet?
Danno,
Bees ship this coming Monday. Should be here a week from today. X:X
Quote from: Variable on April 09, 2014, 01:42:10 PM
Quote from: danno on April 08, 2014, 08:35:29 PM
variable do you have bee's yet?
Danno,
Bees ship this coming Monday. Should be here a week from today. X:X
Awsume!! Its never been warm enough in these parts to get packages this early. good luck and have fun