Eco wood treatment of beekeeping woodenware seems like an easy way to protect equipment versus painting and less expensive than wax dipping, but I wanted to give a longer term review of how it holds up.
I’ve been considering eco wood but haven’t used it yet, so I appreciate your review. My old favorite treatment for new or repurposed boxes is boiled linseed oil and then paint with an exterior White House paint. This process has served me well for many years.
I only have a couple years on my Eco treated boxes so the jury is still out. I soaked in Eco before assembly to, hopefully, get more Eco into the end grain. I might try the boiled linseed this time around for a comparison.
Thank you for the followup video! I discovered EcoWood last year and treated a bunch of equipment. Here in SE Virginia maybe I'll not experience the extremes of weather that you have and get better results from the product. Have to say that not painting is great but will share your video with all the folks that I've been telling about the product so they have this long term review.
Thanks for sharing. I’m using Vermont Naturals Polywhey exterior penetrating stain on my boxes. I’ll have to remember to do a follow up video on my hives.
Ecowood is just preventing living things (mold,insects) from eating the wood. Oil is preventing the water from entering the wood. Water does not only help wood rot. It also changes the mechanical properties of wood expanding it and then when drying it shrinks. That's why you need both. Ecowood with a mixture of tung/wax would be ideal I think.
I'm not having this problem and we get decent temp swings over winter in Indiana... however - I use the Ecowood first and then 2-3 weeks later paint the boxes w/exterior latex. Yep I'm double coating but it's easier and cheaper than wax dipping or having rotted boxes.
Yes, I believe that is the key. Coating with something else (whether paint or stain/sealer) after the Ecowood has time to set in...Thanks for sharing your experience!
I've had the same experience here in middle Tennessee. After 2 years the brood boxes are showing some signs of warpage in the box joints. It's hard to re-dip but easy enough to paint, so now I've been painting over the Eco Wood treated boxes. Now I must wait for another couple years to pass to know if the paint improves this situation.
Thanks for sharing. I haven't tried painting over them as I don't want to paint any of my equipment, but I have used screws to fix them and may try wax dipping over some. Fortunately we now moved on to wax dipping. I may still use it for honey supers, as they have done fine, since they're only outdoors a few months in the summer.
Hey Brian. I did a video as well this year with Eco, mixed with another treatment. Have already had a similar issue on my cedar boxes, but only the ones that I stabled together. I'll have to see how well the boxes that are screwed together hold up. Thanks.
Thanks for that comment, good to know. I found that the stapled and glued ones that also got coated with oil stain are fine. I’m trying some screws to tighten the warped ones back up.
I couldn’t help but notice that the grain of the wood on the warped pieces were very wide. Usually this is from a fast growing species of pine or a good growth year. It also is more prone to warping no matter what you do.
Not always true. If properly kiln dried and painted you will not have any trouble. Half blind dovetails like this are awesome for boxes. Lots of glue and 2 coats of primer topped by 2 coats of top quality exterior paint and your good for 5 years easy. No matter the lay of the grain. Eco wood is crap. Thays this guy's problem. He trusted his investment poorly. And is sharing to help others. Any wood any grain will go crap bare.
I also had the same issue. After I finished dipping all of my hive pieces, I just poured the remaining treatment in the yard. Now I have a huge dead spot that nothing will grow in. Makes me think that it’s not so ECO friendly.
They are various types of pine. It's possible that cedar or cypress would work better. I may try that in the future, and we're also going to be trying wax-dipped boxes.
That’s what happens when one does not seal the ends and apply enough Titebond lll to the joints AND never use those type staples . I have five hives that’s been treated with ECO wood treatment and I glued and sealed the ends well . No issues after three years so far .
Where are you located? These were well glued actually but maybe the staples have an impact. What kind of staples or nails are on your boxes? As far sealing the ends, I agree and mentioned the boxes I coated as well after eco wood treatment didn’t have the issue. However it goes against what eco wood recommends which is to not do anything else to the wood.
What kind of fasteners do you use? I have tried 1 1/4" deck screws on both sides of the top and bottom corners. They don't pull out like the 1/4 crown Staples.
@@walnutfarmbees-brian I have some triple boiled linseed oil i may cut with Turpentine, Mineral Spirits, or Varsol and apply thinly and often. Thinking just soaking corners to give end grain longer to soak.
@@walnutfarmbees-brian I am a pre-Beginner Beekeeper in the gathering stages to start May- June. You beekeepers are the most friendly community i have ever known, well.... beside my Church. Thank Y'all !
@@walnutfarmbees-brian That is the reason they warped. 12 years back I had 15 hives, started with pine and after 2 years they did the same. I switched over to Cedar, they did well for 10 years until I had to get rid of them, my injuries prevented from taking care of them, both coated with Eco. I got the itch to have bees again, I am getting 2 Nucs and using Cedar and Eco wood treatment. Hang in there and take care of them ladies.
@@sailorddg9877 I never had pine boxes warp with other coatings. But that is interesting to know. I've thought about Cedar and also Cypress and suspect they'd work even better. Did you make your cedar boxes or buy them somewhere?
I also had the same issue. After I finished dipping all of my hive pieces, I just poured the remaining treatment in the yard. Now I have a huge dead spot that nothing will grow in. Makes me think that it’s not so ECO friendly.
