Why And How To Paint A Beehive

Painted Wooden Beehive

Wooden hives are exposed to wind and rain all year round, and after investing a lot of money and time in these hives, you want them to last as long as possible. Therefore, it is a wise economic decision to protect hives with protective layers. Painting the hive helps it withstand harsh conditions and last longer. Paint helps protect wooden honeycomb parts from rain, snow, sun and other weather factors.

This article explains why and how you should paint your beehives,

When choosing a surface color, white is a classic honeycomb color, but almost any color will do. It is best to avoid black or other very dark colours as these may cause the hives to get too hot in the summer sun. One of the things to consider when choosing the color of your hive is whether you want the hive to blend in or stand out and be noticed, and if that's not important to you, just have fun and be creative with the colors and patterns, the bees won't mind and it can be an interesting topic. It's also a fun project to do with kids who can come up with some amazing designs!

There are other reasons why you should paint your beehives besides protecting them from the elements:

• 1. White and other light colors help reflect heat from the sun and keep a cooler hive for your bees. In the north, by contrast, darker colors help the hives absorb heat. Even though we're in the north, we tend to use light colors to help keep our hives cool in the summer. We use dark colors to cover our hives in winter.
• 2. Color can be an identifying feature for bees and for you. We use one main color for each stack of boxes. So we have "green" bees or "yellow" bees, and so on. You can paint boxes of different sizes in different colors to make them easier to identify.
• 3. The box can be painted to blend in with its surroundings. This may be especially desirable in places where you don't want to draw too much attention to neighbors or potential vandals.
• 4. Bees are excellent navigators, and color differences help them find the right nest.
• 5. You can paint your beehive for the simple reason that you like the way it looks.

So how do you paint a beehive

• Wooden honeycomb bracket - paint all surfaces. Beehives must withstand weather. If you use pressure treated wood for your honeycomb rack, you don't need paint. Having said that, I have never painted my untreated wooden beehive racks, they are just fine.
• Bottom plate - paint all wood surfaces. If using a shielded backplate, do not paint the screen. The bottom plate gets the most abuse, so it needs to be well protected.
• Coat parts of honeycomb with primer. Left to right outer cover, shielding bottom plate and slatted frame.
• Entrance gear reducer. - Don't paint this one. It only uses savings and may chew your bees if used for a longer time.
• Slatted frame - painted exterior plus top and bottom edges. Don't paint inside. Some people choose not to paint the top and bottom edges because they find it makes the hive body stick together in warm weather. I live in New England and don't have this problem as long as my paint has time to dry thoroughly before using the hives.
• Beehive box or Super box - painted outside plus top and bottom edges. Don't paint inside. Similarly, some people choose not to paint the top and bottom edges because they find it makes the hive body stick together in warm weather. I live in New England and don't have this problem as long as my paint has time to dry thoroughly before using the hives.
• Frames - Do not paint frames.
• Liner - Do not paint liner.
• Shell - Paint all wood surfaces on the outside. Paint top and bottom edges and inside. Do not paint the inside/underside. Do not paint metal surfaces.

Conclusion

Woodenware is a major cost component of beekeeping.

Protecting beehives from elements makes them last longer, improving the return on your investment.

Painting beehives with exterior grade latex paint is a simple way to improve the longevity of your equipment and provided some decorative color to your apiary.