New poly nucs *Warning* Lemongrass oil

[RoofTops]

Feeders need 3 to 4 coats and I would strongly recommend you paint the floor internally as well. Everything else need only be painted externally, providing you use a plastic sheet under the roof, which you should, otherwise paint the inside of the roof as well.

Should have clarified, the above applies to full sized hives. You don't normally paint the inside of nucs other than some people painted the lower half internally of the original Taggart boxes as they could be fed by squirting syrup in through the entrance.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

And let it be spelt out..what exactly should we use to paint the inside and outside of the hives?

 

[johna]

And let it be spelt out..what exactly should we use to paint the inside and outside of the hives?

Dulux WEATHERSHIELD SMOOTHE MASONARY paint tinted to a colour of your choice.Goes on quickly,dries fast and looks good.Needs 2 coats.

 

[Poly Hive]

TBH any paint you want really.

Best not to paint the mating surfaces, so leave the top and bottom edges of broods and supers unpainted.

Paint your feeders.

That's about it.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

TBH any paint you want really.


Cellulose would work well...lol...

 

[Headnavigator]

I'm not clear why you are using Cuprinol, what are you trying to preserve?

Oh dear, better tell the truth I suppose: to try and make it look more like wood and less like a rather luminous pale green block of poly in my nice cottagey garden.
BTW P....s supplied mine with a narrow wooden float in the feed chamber.

 

[Poly Hive]

Sighs...

any paint that is NOT going to dissolve your precious new poly.

That suit you Hivemaker? LOL

Met a new green nuc today... in the back of anothers car. Loose lid eh? Big gap after 6 Thornes frames, a 20mm gap in fact from my crude Stanley 15m rule, and the frames were measuring at 33mm.

PH

 

[the naked beekeeper]

So is the paint just to make it look aesthetically more pleasing?
Or does painting it fill these void gaps??

Last questions!

I basically want to know what the need for painting is.
I take it from this thread that a surface treatment helps fill the gaps. And that any paint will do.

Which also begs the question, do they need to be insect friendly? And if not, why the need for the insect friendly cuprinols on timber hives?

 

[Poly Hive]

Good question and here is the straight answer.

Paint for three reasons. One to identify the unit as yours. Two as the outer layer can degrade in sunlight so it is a protective layer. Third and arguably the most important, it can if done right, be an aid to identifying the unit to the bees.

Like a stripe or square, triangle or diamond and so on in contrasting colours. As per the picture but on the brood box over the entrance. Possibly a bit more subtle though...lol

PH

 

[drstitson]

My nucs are being painted with green and pale cream Homebase masonry paint (available as testers if anyone only has one nuc to paint. By mixing and matching colours used for floor, roof, sides and ends and range of combinations possible.
Will also consider (for apideas etc) mixing some old left over Games workshop acrylic model paints into the cream to produce a range of colours to aid identification by bees.