{"id":8359,"date":"2019-08-14T17:29:11","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T16:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wood-finishes-direct.com\/blog\/?p=8359"},"modified":"2022-11-10T14:51:16","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T14:51:16","slug":"bee-friendly-wood-finishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wood-finishes-direct.com\/blog\/bee-friendly-wood-finishes\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Worry Bee Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bees are incredible creatures and are super important to a huge range of plants including fruits and vegetables. Bees transfer pollen between male and female plants, allowing them to grow seeds, fruit and reproduce. Without this, many plant species would simply die out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bees and other insects are vital for the transfer of pollen between plants and food crops<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To protect food crops from destructive insects, diseases and other biological threats, the widespread use of pesticides and insecticides is common. These chemicals, which are also widely used in wood preservatives and other types of wood treatments, along with changing environmental conditions and the loss of natural habitats such as wild flower meadows, have been implicated in the decline of bees and other pollen transferring insects. This has led to a dramatic decline in bee and other pollen carrying insect numbers, with some studies suggesting that they are down by a third in just the last 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood care v Bee care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Garden sheds, decking and fence panels are costly, so it makes sense to give them the best possible protection from weathering and biological threats, including wood boring insects. The good news is that there are wood care products that will do this whilst being safe for bees and other beneficial insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is this good for gardeners and bees but it\u2019s also great for beekeepers, giving them an opportunity to protect and extend the lives of beehives without endangering the bees within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Painting bee hives with bee friendly wood paints or stains will add colour and protect the hives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bee friendly wood care treatments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Top of the list and certainly the most controversial type of wood treatments are wood preservatives. These products are designed to be toxic to biological life including mould, algae, fungi and wood boring insects, the biggest and most common threats to interior and exterior wood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insect friendly wood oils<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once preserved, any wood and especially exterior wood should be protected with a top coat. The top coat seals in the wood preservative which in turn extends how long it remains effective for, usually around 5 years or more. Wood oils offer excellent protection against weathering, are easy to apply and maintain, and will never crack, flake or peel off like old paints and varnishes. Wood oils are also highly versatile and can be used on most types of wood. The following Osmo wood oils are all classified as being safe for bees once fully dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n