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Author Topic: painting hives  (Read 5383 times)

Offline orin

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painting hives
« on: January 25, 2016, 02:29:20 pm »
What kind of paint do you guys use on your hives? Is there a kind I shouldn't use? Also should i paint the inside of my boxes or just the outsides? Thanks guys
Orin Hayes

Offline Michael Bush

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Offline little john

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2016, 04:38:42 pm »
Painting ? Very much a personal decision.

MB doesn't paint. In contrast, I choose to paint both inside and outside.
The reason I paint the inside of boxes is because a beehive interior is a very wet environment indeed - just like a shower room - with condensed water running down the walls. Internal painted surfaces assist with this condensation, and also help prevent wood from absorbing moisture, and thus losing some of it's insulation value. It also helps to stop the woodwork from swelling.

A popular view is that there's no need to paint the inside, as the bees will propolise the interior themselves - which is true ... eventually. But they won't propolise the interior during their first year of occupation - they have far more pressing matters to attend to. So I paint, and they propolise over that paint.

With regard to the paint itself - I use whatever's available. Polyurethane floor paint is my favourite, as it dries quickly and is as tough as old boots.
If you do decide to paint, just make sure the paint you use has 'seasoned' well - a week or two outdoors - and thus has little or no solvent off-gassing before bees are installed. If in doubt, leave newly painted boxes outside, and when scout bees can be seen investigating them, that's a sure sign that bees are finding them acceptable.

LJ
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Offline orin

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2016, 08:04:08 pm »
Awesome thanks guys for the info much appreciated
Orin Hayes

Offline jalentour

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2016, 09:40:15 pm »
Orin,
I just painted a few boxes last week.  I used a cheap Sherman Williams primer and SW exterior.  Color doesn't matter and SW will sell you an exterior gallon for $5.00.  I stacked them 10 high when I painted with a roller.  Sometimes when I pulled them apart the seal would cause chipping between boxes.  I rolled two coats because I had the time, other years less.
I only paint the exterior and not the top or bottom edges. 
Late in the season when I need to make a quick couple boxes they never seem to get painted.  Same for shims, bottom boards, top covers, etc.  The seem to work well unpainted too. 
If you are keeping around your home then painted/poly'ed is the way to go.  For mass production I'd go unpainted.  Maybe even less than mass production.  Maybe I'll stop painting, don't know.  It's all about personnel preference and time.

Offline TALittle

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2016, 12:30:38 pm »
Interesting, provided the paint does not hurt the bees.

I was just going to shoot them white and give my kids tubes of colored paint and paint brushes. Let them decorate them however they want. The bees may not care but it will get the kids and there friends involved and may spark some interest. :)

Offline little john

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2016, 01:17:17 pm »
This is an experimental Long Hive I didn't paint the interior of, which has been in service for the last 6 years, and which I've just pulled for the re-painting of the exterior and a feeder shell re-build:




As can be seen, there's no propolis build-up on the walls at all - a little wax from where they've glued the partition board to the sides, but that's all - and that's after 6 years.  Wish I'd painted the inside now, it might have prevented that black mould from forming.

I was just going to shoot them white and give my kids tubes of colored paint and paint brushes. Let them decorate them however they want. The bees may not care but it will get the kids and there friends involved and may spark some interest. :)

I think that's a great idea !  If you do an Internet search for Anton Janscha, you'll eventually find photographs of the front of his hives, on which he painted sketches of political satire and such-like.

Maybe your kids would aspire to some Star Wars characters or whatever kids are into these days ?  Great fun.
LJ
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Offline Duane

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2016, 10:16:46 am »
I just find painting a pain.  But feel I must.  However, I've been fascinated with Bush's idea of not painting.  By the time you put the primer on, then the paint, deal with the brushes, what a pain.  Is it easier to make a new box?  How much longer does it last.  The painted boxes are flaking off, then you have to sand and repaint.

I had a box I painted, and then now I noticed a couple of blisters on it.  I touched one and water came out.  Which causes me to agree it might be correct that the paint is holding moisture in.  Maybe between the primer and paint, but that water just setting there and however it got there can't be good.

But still.  I bought some Teak oil for exterior that looked like it might be easier to apply.  I haven't done it yet, so don't know.

Offline Fritz

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2016, 04:01:34 pm »
Does wax dipping cook the glue out of the joints?

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2016, 04:47:12 pm »
>Does wax dipping cook the glue out of the joints?

No.
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Offline KeyLargoBees

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2016, 08:41:13 am »
I have one of those wagner power painters...I stack em 10 high with a small corner shim to keep em from sticking and am done in 10 minutes....takes me longer to shim the stack and clean the gun than to apply the paint.  I use whatever leftover exterior I have or buy mistints cheap and am on the "call list" for several paint stores to buy their mistakes

I just do outsides since as humid as it is down here in the Keys mould isn't an issue because of the heat and I run screened bottoms so ventilation is good.
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2016, 04:34:38 pm »
I think back to the lead paint that was still around when I started and I'm VERY glad I never painted the inside of a beehive...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline Rhino86

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2016, 02:08:07 am »
Some water based acrylic paints will stick, or have poor blocking. Don't paint in humid weather, apply some wax on parts that stick, or sand it off and apply a different type of paint such as enamel paint.


Offline capt44

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2016, 05:40:07 pm »
I use a exterior latex paint and spray it on.
I give it two or three coats.
works for me.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline Beeboy01

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2016, 02:36:54 pm »
I'll paint with whatever is handy with the mismixes found at the local big box hardware stores. Tans and light browns are very common for $5.00 per gallon. I picked up a quart of dark blue last year and have been adding it to some gallons of white to make a pretty shade of Robin's egg blue just to give a little color to my yard.
   Repaints just get a quick scraping and then a brush on of two coats. I've a buddy who sands and putties the exterior of his hives, makes them real pretty before using them. I don't see how the bees give a hoot about what the hives look like, I have hives that have two sides one color and the other two a different color, still trying to figure out how that happened ;)

Offline Adam Foster Collins

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #15 on: August 15, 2016, 11:22:15 pm »
I use rough cut lumber and put two coats of paint on them. One thing to remember about painted boxes is that giving them proper curing time makes a HUGE difference in terms of how tough they are. Let them cure for a good four weeks in a warm/dry environment before use, and the paint will be properly cured and durable.
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Online Jim134

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #16 on: August 16, 2016, 12:10:56 am »
Bees cover the inside of the hive with propolis.


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Offline little john

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Re: painting hives
« Reply #17 on: August 16, 2016, 03:45:34 am »
See my post of May 20th.  Bees will propolise the inside of boxes eventually, but not during the first few years.
LJ
A Heretics Guide to Beekeeping - http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com