Painting poly hives

[plumberman]

I'm going to give polyhives a go next year, probably the paynes national. Excuse the ignorance, but I see a lot of talk of painting them.

Can anyone fill me in on the rationale for doing so?


Cheers

Pman

 

[susbees]

White EPS is so uncool . More weatherproof....least the Keilers last longer painted.

 

[oliver90owner]

To protect them from solar radiation and to prevent algal growth.

RAB

 

[Poly Hive]

To avoid UV degradation although I have ones which are now some 25 years old and they have been fine under their coat of paint.

The usual paints used are, emulsion, gloss or masonry.

The rationale though for myself is to blend the units into the background so I use soft browns and greens.

PH

 

[Swarm]

I'm going to give polyhives a go next year, probably the paynes national. Excuse the ignorance, but I see a lot of talk of painting them.

Can anyone fill me in on the rationale for doing so?


Cheers

Pman

I'm in the process of doing just that. I decided to try out poly next year and got a National from P@ynes and a six frame poly nuc (still have spare wooden stuff, so starting small). You could get away without painting due to their greenish colour, I suppose. I decided to paint for some extra protection and to help blend in a bit better. The nuc is now a subtle shade of lavender, the hive will be green and/or lavender mix, depending how the paint goes.

On a side note, maybe those of us who purchased these new poly hives can chart their performance next season?

 

[Poly Hive]

I hope they work well for you.

PH

 

[Winker]

I'm in the process of doing just that. I decided to try out poly next year and got a National from P@ynes and a six frame poly nuc (still have spare wooden stuff, so starting small). You could get away without painting due to their greenish colour, I suppose. I decided to paint for some extra protection and to help blend in a bit better. The nuc is now a subtle shade of lavender, the hive will be green and/or lavender mix, depending how the paint goes.

On a side note, maybe those of us who purchased these new poly hives can chart their performance next season?

I have painted mine Post Box Red, but im keeping mine hiden from view in the back yard

 

[Into the lions den]

I have painted mine Post Box Red, but im keeping mine hiden from view in the back yard

The paint is, as suggested elsewhere, just to protect the material from UV and algae. With algal growth comes our dear fried the slug to eat the algae. Slugs have very rough tongues and in eating the algae take the thinnest layer off the poly at the same time........so old unpainted boxes can look quite tatty in relatively few seasons. the bees do not mind them looking tatty though, and fare just as well in such a poly box as a nice new one.

Not being a bee I cannot confirm this, but apparently red is outside the visible range for bees, hence there are very few red bee flowers, and those that are have strong markings invisible to our eyes which are only visible if photographed in ultra violet. So, viewed as a bee, you have just painted your hives black! <G>

 

[Finman]

The paint is, as suggested elsewhere, just to protect the material from UV and algae.>

one importand thing is that unpainted polybox makes bees somehow blind. They whirl quite long in front of hive before they land onto entrance. When the box is painted, foragers fly straight into entrance.

Polybox is a little bit porous too and resins from hands and winter poo attach onto surface of the box..

Nowadays I have bought outsold car paints and I spray the box surface. It take a little while and paint is dry. Official new paint is expencive.

 

[drstitson]

for those without handy spare paint around the place, with only a few hives to paint (or wishing to paint each different colour) - homebase do covenient sized testers of their masonry paint.

 

[Winker]

Not being a bee I cannot confirm this, but apparently red is outside the visible range for bees, hence there are very few red bee flowers, and those that are have strong markings invisible to our eyes which are only visible if photographed in ultra violet. So, viewed as a bee, you have just painted your hives black! <G>

Its ok m going to paint symbols in pure white on top of the hive and on the front, so the bees have a better idea of, which home is there's

 

[Ross]

Expanded polystyrene is UV stable so there is no need to paint as the poly will not degrade. However, as pointed out it does go off yellow and grow algae, painting them will keep them looking better for longer but is not strictly necessary.

 

[Into the lions den]

Expanded polystyrene is UV stable so there is no need to paint as the poly will not degrade. However, as pointed out it does go off yellow and grow algae, painting them will keep them looking better for longer but is not strictly necessary.

I was told this too, but they do sit out in the weather for many years, and the extreme suface does go yellow and rubs off like a dust, very slowly eating into the box. So something in the weather, and long term UV exposure is top culprit, causes slow deterioration, which is avoided by painting.

It is not a huge issue really, more a cosmetic one. Even our old wooden boxes lose thickness, albeit very slowly indeed, through weathering and wasp chewing.

 

[Finman]

.
I have had polyboxes 23 years. Some have corroded south walls and they surely suffer from UV .
But I turn them around and then tley last another 23 years. My age is then 87 years.

 

[Poly Hive]

87 and still keeping bees... way to go Finman...

PH

 

[Black Comb]

Was talking to a gent yesterday of 86 who still runs 7 hives. He's kept bees for 62 years. He still uses his original hives.
Sorry, this is nothing to do with painting poly.

 

[Poly Hive]

It don't does it but lovely to hear.

Stable in theory possibly (never heard this before) but in practice it does weather and definitely benefits from painting.

PH

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Dad is 83 next birthday and has been involved with bees since before the second world war.

 

[susbees]

87 and still keeping bees... way to go Finman...

PH

Our BKA pres is 89...and still keeping bees...

 

[Finman]

87 and still keeping bees... way to go Finman...

PH

I am not sure about that, but I bet that polybox stands enough UV even after me.
I am now 64 y.