Is it worth painting hives different colours?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm a bit rusty on bee physiology - does painting hives different colours help them locate so reducing drifting?

I put numbers on mine - seems to do the trick

 

[itma]

Branding your hive parts is a much safer way of identifying them

I am planning on trying a cheap thing like a soldering iron from Lidl. It runs hotter than for soldering and is sold for 'decorating' wood.

 

[pargyle]

I am planning on trying a cheap thing like a soldering iron from Lidl. It runs hotter than for soldering and is sold for 'decorating' wood.

I use one for pyrography on wood turnings ... they will do the job, but it's not a deep brand though - just burns into the surface of the timber. You really need a branding iron that's red hot if you are going to make an impression that's not able to be removed with a scrape and a bit of sandpaper. Might be OK for frames but by the time thieves have got to this level it's doubtful that anything would stop them !

 

[user 6228]

I use one for pyrography on wood turnings ... they will do the job, but it's not a deep brand though - just burns into the surface of the timber. You really need a branding iron that's red hot if you are going to make an impression that's not able to be removed with a scrape and a bit of sandpaper. Might be OK for frames but by the time thieves have got to this level it's doubtful that anything would stop them !

flashing led ... works for cars

 

[Goran]

You can step further beside colors - shapes. If You are skilled in woodwork, try "replicas" of some buildings ( as churches, monasteries, or whatever You like). But this is for hobby, few hives, and more art than other. Very nice to see that kind of hives.
With making some replicas of religious objects for bee home I think is most appropriate for making little tribute to bee.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

flashing led ... works for cars

I heard of someone who used to rig thunderflashes to his hives - until his commanding officer stopped him

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

You can step further beside colors - shapes. If You are skilled in woodwork, try "replicas" of some buildings ( as churches, monasteries, or whatever You like). But this is for hobby, few hives, and more art than other. Very nice to see that kind of hives.
With making some replicas of religious objects for bee home I think is most appropriate for making little tribute to bee.

Four of my hives rest on a solid base exactly like a cathedral.

Dusty.

 

[itma]

Saw something interesting today.
Hives with deliberately only the roof woodwork painted in colour. Thinking about it, it seems to make some sense. Dunno if its a general Swiss thing...

// and with about 8c, yes, the bees were flying here as well.

 

[pargyle]

Ok .. it's a very old thread .. with some very old friends in it ..

Today, I found a tin of paint in the woodpile that I'd forgotten I had put there .. I had some old poly supers that I figured for emergency only use and that emergency seems to be looming quite rapidly. So, I set to and cleaned them and then painted them .. and then I looked at my hive roofs and they were looking a bit weather worn so I painted them.

Now .. all my hives have the same dark green roof and somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered something about bees using hive colours and/or symbols for their final orientation and that, where hives are close together, drifting can occur if they are all the same ...

So .. I found this old thread and had a read through but there's no definitive answer to whether bees need the identification that some provide .. I recall seeing somewhere that someone had taught bees to read ... so perhaps JBM with his hive numbers has the right idea .. or should I be painting astrological symbols on the top of each hive ?

Your comments and any knowledge more than welcome ...

 

[E&MBees]

The Apiarist has something on one of his blogs about this, which I read recently. It’s an old post relating to when he set up his new bee shed. Each of the entrances have different patterns painted on them to stop drifting.

 

[madasafish]

I paint various shapes- circles ,triangles - on my mating nucs. I believe bees can recognise them..And paint in blue or yellow.

Taster pots of masonry paint from Wickes complete with brush are ideal..and cheap and quick.

Mark up shape with masking tape and paint.. (or card for circles).

I paint entrances and roof.

I want my hives to be inconspicuous so green or brown colours only..

Some mating nucs in brown, some in green and some in both (camo pattern)..

 

[pargyle]

I paint various shapes- circles ,triangles - on my mating nucs. I believe bees can recognise them..And paint in blue or yellow.

Taster pots of masonry paint from Wickes complete with brush are ideal..and cheap and quick.

Mark up shape with masking tape and paint.. (or card for circles).

I paint entrances and roof.

I want my hives to be inconspicuous so green or brown colours only..

Some mating nucs in brown, some in green and some in both (camo pattern)..

That sounds like a good plan Mike. My hives are green, grey or khaki(ish) so blue and yellow will stand out .. They are in the garden and it's a secure location so I don't mind them standing out... it will be interesting to see if the bees approve ... at least I will remember which is which !

 

[deemann1]

The Apiarist has something on one of his blogs about this, which I read recently. It’s an old post relating to when he set up his new bee shed. Each of the entrances have different patterns painted on them to stop drifting.

I made a heap of entrance blocks and handed them to the kids to paint they are all different colours and spots plus stripes
At least the kids had fun