BBKA Forum

Hello Folks
I am brand new to beekeeping and due to get my first nuc colony in April, I am setting up my apiary building my hive stand and preparing the area for my hive. I will be getting the hive in a month before the bees and would like to paint it white although my supplier states it is made from larch and does not require any preservative treatment.
Can anyone recommend a suitable paint for the exterior of the hive which will not harm the bees?
Kind Regards
Tony Joyce

Hi Tony

Welcome to the Forum .

Exciting times! I haven’t owned larch hives so will leave specific advice to those better qualified to comment. Only point on embarking on painting stuff is to bear in mind you might be starting with just a single hive but as sure as eggs is eggs, you will get more. So think about the maintenance aspect.

In the old days they actually creosoted hives with the bees in them. There is no need to treat the interior in actual contact with the bees obviously. I have used clear Ronseal on hive stand leg feet in direct contact with mud and it stood up well.

What style of hive have you gone for Tony?

When i was using wooden ceder hives i used to paint them with cuprinol fence/shed preservative..i know they did not need painting but i like everything to look the same..i have now moved over to Abelo poly hives which come ready painted and with the amount of equipment quickly growing painting becomes a chore so ready painted boxes are the way forward..

Once bitten (or stung)by the bug it's almost certain you'll get more hives so either keep to one paint or don't use paint.
You'll see pictures of apiaries with parts of each hive (it's inevitable)mixed up with all the others in a screaming cacophony of chipped and faded paint colours.
No thanks.
No guessing I prefer linseed oil....

The problem with paint is that it can peel off so once you have started, you have to continue. It can also trap moisture in the hive, so the wood can rot, so you do need to get breathable paint. If it's WBC lifts you are planning to paint, they are sufficiently loose fit and there's ventilation in the roof as well, that you can use non-breathable paint.

Patrick wrote: ↑

30 Jan 2021, 08:22

Hi Tony

Welcome to the Forum .

Exciting times! I haven’t owned larch hives so will leave specific advice to those better qualified to comment. Only point on embarking on painting stuff is to bear in mind you might be starting with just a single hive but as sure as eggs is eggs, you will get more. So think about the maintenance aspect.

In the old days they actually creosoted hives with the bees in them. There is no need to treat the interior in actual contact with the bees obviously. I have used clear Ronseal on hive stand leg feet in direct contact with mud and it stood up well.

What style of hive have you gone for Tony?

Hello Patrick
I have gone for a national hive which comes with a flat roof its included in my all inclusive package from the Northumberland honey Co , but I think i may change it a some point for a gable roof just for aesthetic purposes. I will try the ronseal on the feet of the stand that i am going to build so thanks for that .
Cheers Tony J

Steve 1972 wrote: ↑

30 Jan 2021, 09:38

When i was using wooden ceder hives i used to paint them with cuprinol fence/shed preservative..i know they did not need painting but i like everything to look the same..i have now moved over to Abelo poly hives which come ready painted and with the amount of equipment quickly growing painting becomes a chore so ready painted boxes are the way forward..

Hello Steve
thanks for the advice i will look at the abeloe hives for future expansion
Cheers Tony J

AdamD wrote: ↑

01 Feb 2021, 12:06

The problem with paint is that it can peel off so once you have started, you have to continue. It can also trap moisture in the hive, so the wood can rot, so you do need to get breathable paint. If it's WBC lifts you are planning to paint, they are sufficiently loose fit and there's ventilation in the roof as well, that you can use non-breathable paint.

Hello Adam
thank you for the heads up about the possibility of it trapping moisture in the hive, will have to do some more research i think and possibly go for the natural effect with linseed oil
Cheers Tony J

Alfred wrote: ↑

30 Jan 2021, 18:07

Once bitten (or stung)by the bug it's almost certain you'll get more hives so either keep to one paint or don't use paint.
You'll see pictures of apiaries with parts of each hive (it's inevitable)mixed up with all the others in a screaming cacophony of chipped and faded paint colours.
No thanks.
No guessing I prefer linseed oil....

Hello Alfred
I think i am going to have to do some more research and may end up doing as you suggest and going with the natural look and linseed oil
Cheers
Tony J

Gabled roofs. They do make the hive look better, however a flat roof does have it's uses. What many do is to put the upturned roof on the ground as a base to put supers on during inspections. The supers are then put on diagonally so there is a minimum 'bee-squash' area. Also any bees that fall through don't get tangled in the grass or later stood on. For WBC's the lifts can be used for the same purpose, although you can get bees fall through onto the grass. It's not a major problem unless one of them is the queen. (Yes, happened to me once). A gabled roof is not suitable for this purpose as it won't lie flat, so something else would be needed.