Do you paint/treat your hives?

[Juliebeebee]

Hi
What do you all paint or treat the outsides of your hives with?

thanks

Jules

 

[gmonag]

Cuprinol "Duck's Back"

 

[jeff33]

Cuprinol also or if I need a new box in a hurry I treat with a linseed oil/beeswax polish I made.

 

[B+.]

Hi
What do you all paint or treat the outsides of your hives with?

thanks

Jules

Polyhives have either exterior gloss paint or Sandtex masonry paint on them. To be honest, I think the SandTex was expensive overkill).

 

[Swarm]

Nothing.

 

[Ian123]

All new wood hives get a couple of coats of sadolin classic, old boxes in need of a touch up get a coat of anything to hand in brown. Avoid painting or cheap diy stains that form a layer on the surface. Poly hives really can be coated with just about anything as the grain formed by the poly bubbles helps most things stick, there are plenty of new style water based external paints around but they can be expensive. I have used Cuprinol garden shades in the past and that’s good as a cheaper alternative. I do think wood hives need a coat of something and over the years have found many boxes that suffered from rot/damage coated hives tend to split less and also absorb less moisture during the winters.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nothing - cedar doesn't want or need treating
Polynucs get a few coats of cuprinol shades - whichever colour is on sale at wilko

 

[GuyNir]

Using fine textured Sandtex on my poly hives. Protects the poly really well.

Used HQC before switching to Sandtex, wasn’t as good.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Cuprinol shades is good and lasts I also use this on wood. my polys get painted with just about anything paint wise house matt, silk, bathroom paint.

 

[thedozzer]

Poly hives = Dulux weather shield
Currently country cream as we had 2ltrs left over from painting the house.
Normally whatever masonry paint B&Q / Homebase / etc have on special in test pots.

 

[Bear]

My hives altho old are cedar. Only once gave them a run over with a sander to make them look better and not so tired looking. Cedar does not need treating or painting. Poly nuc gets masonary paint.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

once saw some cedar shallows at an auction, untreated, well used but physically as good as new - they were the old 'unmodified' nationals - so pre war!!

 

[Bear]

once saw some cedar shallows at an auction, untreated, well used but physically as good as new - they were the old 'unmodified' nationals - so pre war!!

Mine are quite old but not pre war. They are Steele & Brodie hives (some of them) and have a 10mm rebate at the top and a 10mm on the bottom so they cannot slide when put together. Interlock Design for moving to the heather and save them coming apart when moving.

 

[pargyle]

Polyhives .. Shades or preferably Shades look alikes from Aldi or Lidl - whatever cokours they have left at the end of the deal reduced to clear. The last pots I bought were grey and dark green and £1 a tin... as opposed to Cuprinol Shades at £11 a litre !

Earlier this year I picked up some dented cans of floor paint in Wickes for pennies - that works as well.

 

[dn170221]

I used to use linseed oil but recently changed to coloured wood preservative as I think the hives look better.

 

[madasafish]

Poly :Hammerite Garage Door Paint (v tough )

Wood : any 5 year woodstain (I don't have cedar - mainly pallet wood)
Poly mini nucs: anything..

(Beekeepers used to use creosote... some used to immerse whole hive - inside and out for a day, then leave it to weather for 6 months . Alpen beekeeping)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Beekeepers used to use creosote... some used to immerse whole hive - inside and out for a day,

Still do in Africa - the two main dealers in South Africa give the choice of bare wood or pre creosoted when you order.

 

[For want of a better word]

Nothing - cedar doesn't want or need treating
Polynucs get a few coats of cuprinol shades - whichever colour is on sale at wilko

Some of the cedar gets a coat of tung oil.... otherwise the same as the old salt!

Chons da

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Black Sandtex.

Supers every other year, broods when they come in for repair. phasing out poly, colonies don't do any better or worse in either poly or wood here, but for sustainability timber is the way forward.