must I waterproof the inside of wooden nuc feeder?

[twb]

In my winter shipment of bee supplies I received a wooden nuc feeder.  It is not treated on the inside where the syrup goes and I presume I must stain it or something to waterproof it, correct?  And also treat the wooden floats the same way?  I guess I could call the supplier, but some of you probably know better anyway.  Thanks.

[Cindi]

twb.  Ooooh, I would not treat the feeder, nor the wooden floats.  This is where the bees will be getting their sugar syrup feeding from, they do not need to have their syrup contaminated with a chemical.  That is why the inside walls were not treated.  It was like that for a reason.  I don't think that you will hear anyone else that will advise to treat the inside of the wooden feeder.  Period.  Good that you asked this question, if ever in doubt about ANYTHING, always ask, a question is only a fleeting moment in time.  Have a great and wonderful day, Cindi

[JP]

Twb, I agree with Cindi. Anything that is inside of the hive, you will want to remain un-treated, un-painted, in order that the bees will find acceptance. In fact, many here on the forums, when time permits, after having painted new hardware (hive bodies and supers, top and bottom covers) leave them out in the elements for a few days or throw mud and such on the hardware, to help remove any fresh paint smell, again, for acceptance reasons, before introducing bees to the new equipment.

Sincerely, JP

[BenC]

I guess I'll be one to disagree here, seal it with some polyurethane.  a bead of silicone caulk can seal cracks right quick and isn't going to hurt anything once dry.  If your concerned about pollutants or something maybe melt some parrafin or beeswax and swish it around in there for a watertight box.  Don't seal the syrup basin and you will have a bigtime moldfest and a slimy rotten box in short order.  If the box is loose enough that it leaks down then your just making a big ant attraction and pouring your sugar water ($$$) away in addition to possibly soaking your bees.

or throw mud and such on the hardware, to help remove any fresh paint smell

I can't say I've ever seen that practiced before, and the mental picture has made me chuckle.  I guess if it works it works, but I'll be leaving that method to the pros!   :)

[JP]

You know, I guess you could do what BenC suggests, then throw some mud on the feeder to get the odors off. Just thinking aloud here, because its a feeder, the bees will find acceptance if they're hungry enough. But, first throw the mud. Wind up like your throwing mudbombs at your worst enemy's house and let the Mudbombs fall where they may. Make sure you warm up first so you don't hurt your arm, and follow through with your pitches for good form. Ben we throw mudbombs after we paint deer stands and leave the stands outside after that, so the deer don't smell the paint.

Thinking of the time we threw mudbombs as a kid on this lady's (old hag, is what we called her then, cause she was mean!) house and the cops came and I hid under my Grandmas bed, JP

[BenC]

I always figured your avatar was an angry brownie or something, now I know it's a video of someone in a mudfight.  Does the mud work if it's sprayed or smeared, or must it be thrown?  Are mudmissles a regular occurance in your area? 

 Ben we throw mudbombs after we paint deer stands and leave the stands outside after that, so the deer don't smell the paint.

 If your talking about throwing the mudbombs at the deerstands, hunters do that kind of stuff here too.  Homemade stands just stay in the woods year-round and get weathered.  I can't say I've ever seen acceptance issues that neccesitate mud on the bee equipment though.

[JP]

Ben, the mudbombs must be thrown or it ain't any fun! :-D  Oh and as far as my avatar goes, that's just me chasing after Cindi's ducks.


Dodging mudbombs, chasing Cindi's ducks,  JP

[PerryBee]

Any of the hive top feeders I've bought have had beeswax ( melted ) poured on all the seams and corners to hold the syrup in. The sides and bottom are left alone. ( We are talking about the inside, right ? )

[TwT]

when I build my own I calk the seams to stop leaks but never treat with paints or sealers in the feeder, thats like painting the inside of the hive, leave it wood untouched you will not have any problems...

[twb]

Thanks to you all.  I will do what I want to the outside and leave the inside pure and natural.  Gotta go now and mix me some mud  :-D.

[Michael Bush]

I would fill it and make sure it doesn't leak.  That's the important thing.  If it does, I'd pour beeswax in it (while it's bone dry of course) and let that run in all the cracks etc.

[Cindi]

JP, you'll never catch them.  I think that I remember something about someone saying that JP's avatar being some kind of good Pokemon or something along that line.  Oops.  Off topic.  Beautiful day, great life.  Cindi

[Jon McFadden]

My son came up with a quick, easy way to waterproof our mating nuc feeders. He cut off the stiff locking part of ziplock sandwich bags and stuffed the bags in the feeders. I was a little skeptical when he did the first few, but it has worked out so well, I have no plans to waterproof them now.
http://nordykebeefarm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PN=1
Jon