[Cob] Bees and beeswax

[dorethy at juno.com]

Has anyone with a cob house had problems with bees drilling holes in it?  Last year, when we applied earthen plaster, they were there and we sorta entombed some, and I guess they're getting revenge--in the very same place--talk about cosmic memory!  Surprised that the caustic quality of the lime plaster does not deter them at all.  I replastered it, but they dig in again. Perhaps the major damage is only to my sculptures (my Mayan Jaguar Mask now looks like a smiley face without teeth, since I tried to patch her up!), but who knows how extensive the damage may eventually be.  Any ideas?  (I won't use pesticide.)

Also, in response to the yellow globbing-up of the linseed oil/beeswax on earthen floor: I had the same problem with it solidifying immediately when it hit the floor, but it wasn't quite so bad when my radiant floor heating system warmed up.  I had done the prescribed 4 coats of linseed oil and turpentine, with succeeding coats having a higher turpentine content.  I sorta felt that the linseed oil actually SOFTENED my floor and caused it to be easily dinged-up.  Soon it will be time to apply another coating, I suspect (6 months), and I'm not sure what I'll do.  It seems that this entire project has been seat-of-the-pants building, and one just has to use your common sense and the materials at hand.  Sometimes, in frustration, it seems easier to use "conventional" (i.e., non-green) products, but I feel I should lead by example, so those are last resort.  Was I actually supposed to BOIL the raw linseed oil?  I thought that might be dangerous.  I did leave it in the sun for about a day before using, which is all the time I could spare before cold weather set in.

Dorethy

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