what can i paint these hives with

[bbadger07]

View attachment 5909

just had these made from ply board at my local joiners, ive got some aliminium sheets to cover the tops and ive got to drill some vents in the side, im just stuck on what paint is available, ive got some under coat to put on them first.

In a perfect world i would like them blue, green and red for identity purposes if i have to paint them all the same colour i would choose red or brown.

Do the forum members know what products are available online or from b and q.

thanks to you all for your remarks and advice, who can guess what i paid to get them done? It to my local joiner 2 and a half hours to make.

 

[steve's bees]

I bet you payed with a couple of jars of honey.

Steve

 

[biglongdarren]

I'd say love tokens?And what about ronseal 5year year wood stain,it's water based quick drying and easy to work with.
Darren

 

[BBG]

Bees will cook in there in the summer?

Something reflective might help a little ..

 

[beebreeder]

I use Sadolin Superdec, available in various colours and it does not flake, it wears away and you just clean and re coat but it is expensive.
kev

 

[bbadger07]

timber protection

ive decided put treat them with s******n timber protection as its alot easier than priming and painting plus i can reapply as and when maintenance is required

 

[REDWOOD]

Don't forget to leave them for a few weeks to air before using them

 

[biglongdarren]

Don't forget to leave them for a few weeks to air before using them

One of the great benefits of using ronseal 5year,it's water bases and quick drying and has no smell,I have seen myself putting 3coats on a new nuc and having bees in it in less than 2hours.
Darren

 

[bbadger07]

aired

they will be definately be aired after treatment before use, they are 6" deep enough take cover a jumbo feeder and half in thick so light as well but have the advantage of being deep

 

[REDWOOD]

Not sure about 2 hours I painted a hive last year with this stuff and still could feel it greasy on the out side after a week, but proof is in the pudding if your bees are ok after 2 hours it just goes to show how good that stuff is

 

[oliver90owner]

I am reading this as three roofs were made (not hives as in the header).

That makes any and all posts about airing and being hot, etc totally irrelevant.

They do not appear, as yet, to be finished internally, either.

I am surprised they even took 2 1/2 hours to make in a proper workshop.

 

[bbadger07]

Sorry yes hive roofs prob just paint inside with a light coating of varnish

 

[beebreeder]

What RAB is saying is that internally the roofs have no internal batten to give an air gap, and with regard to painting with Sadolin, I have on occasion re coated a brood box with bees still in, obviously on a quiet day and with a breeze to dry the product quickly, the bees were and still are fine. Dont do it if there is too much activity as the returning bees will get stuck to the front of the hive. Obviously this is best done when the hive is empty but some times needs must, it goes without saying this product is water based.

 

[itma]

Building-in insulation? (Hive roofs)

Somewhere, I've read opinion advocating putting some insulation (like 1 cm of polystyrene) above the wood and under the metal cladding.
Suggestion was that this was helpful in both summer and winter.
Does anyone do anything like that?

 

[oliver90owner]

putting some insulation (like 1 cm of polystyrene) above the wood and under the metal cladding.

I fit 25mm below the ply, nothing above it (between roof ply and roof covering). I now only use 25mm sheets of EPS during the winter, as I consider I have more than enough top insulation.

Roof battens are 25mm and roof space (what there is of it) ventilation is there but not really needed too much (I hope). No problems so far, but the next roofs will be even deeper, around 175mm.

 

[itma]

Somewhere, I've read opinion advocating putting some insulation (like 1 cm of polystyrene) above the wood and under the metal cladding.

It was in Yates 'Beekeeping Equipment (caveat emptor)' --- which seems delightfully crotchety - "opinion" is a fair description! And of course it was "half an inch" not 1 cm.

 

[Into the lions den]

I hope they are made with the correct grade of ply..............if not the OP will rue the day he made them.......must be marine or WBP to have any chance of standing up to the weather.

However, even then (less important with marine grade), you must seal the edges somehow, which can be as simple as a couple of well worked in coats of weatherproof glue. Only the outside surfaces need treating unless you are going to leave the roofs upside down and the weather get into them.

Roof metal is one option, but another, which if you get the right stuff is not slippy, is roof felt. Nice thick grade, use heat when folding it to shape, gives many years of good service. (Just dont wrench the rock/brick or whatever off the top in hard frost.)

So, sealed edges, good exterior coating on the exposed parts, metal or felt on top, insulated panel in the interior of the roof. So long as the plywood is the right quality it will give many years of service.

 

[Brian Bush]

Sadolin is best!!

 

[george]

Sadolin in the green tin . Expensive but the best there is .
G

 

[oliver90owner]

Another possible tip (only did it on roofs made last year)

I made, from some of thin aluminium litho plate offcuts (only 0.25mm thick), some right angle strips which were then roughly mitred (?can't remember exactly, but just cut with scissors) and placed over each corner joint, before placing the roof cover sheet above that. The desired effect is to protect the corner joints from the worst of the weather below the roof covering level, and avoid water ingress at the top corner folds of the roof covering (as the corner pieces can be gently formed into position, such that they are virtually wrapped around each vertex. I secured mine with galvanised 13mm felting nails (ex Jewson), but these may just penetrate the wood should these roofs be made in 12mm, not half inch, thick ply.