What colour is light enough to paint the hives???

[Polyanwood]

Refused to pay top dollar in hardware shop for the amount of Cuprinol I need, so now will be scavenging in the bargain bins.

Someone said that they thought hives should be a light colour to reflect the heat, as getting too hot was very bad for the bees. The only colour that was cheap was the brownish wood coloured ones most people use for fences. Do people think they are too dark???

 

[Hivemaker.]

no. better still don't paint at all.

 

[Polyanwood]

So you reckon red cedar, or whatever I got cheap for the fence will do?

 

[doorman]

Rather than worry about colour, check what's in them, some wood treatments may contain chemicals not recommended for bee hives.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Most of the cheap shed and fence paints are water based(acrylic) no harm to bee's when dry.

 

[BKF Admin]

I think Thornes do a 500ml tin of hive preserve for about ?50 a tin.

 

[Polyanwood]

This lot I bought were pine, not cedar... Do you still reckon OK not to paint them??

Cuprinol is water based...

£50 a tin!!!! I was moaning about £17.99.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The cheap shed and fence stuff is not a wood preserver,so is no good on pine,they will rot. you need cuprinol.

 

[BKF Admin]

I use a brown Cupranol,3 coats seem to do the job.
Dont buy a cheaper B+Q etc brand as you will have to do about 6 coats at least with it.

I think Hivemaker does BOTH sides of the boxes to stop condensation on the inner surface on his Nucs.

 

[BKF Admin]

?50 a tin!!!! I was moaning about ?17.99.

?50 was a slight exaggeration but it aint cheap from them.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Plywood nucs only,do both sides to help prevent warping,all cedar stuff i use nothing.

 

[Polyanwood]

Is that true you paint them inside and out Hivemaker?

Only buy Cuprinol because I bought a Cuprinol sprayer to do the sheds and fences. I guess I could use the sprayer to do the hives, but I thought you have to make sure you didn't get any paint on the surfaces where the hive parts sit on top of each other??? Was told that if you paint these surfaces, as you slide the boxes on and off, you put bits of paint debris in the honey???

Rubbish or not???

 

[Poly Hive]

Try this... (three coats, pah!)

Pour four gallons of cuprinol into a bucket, and put unassembled pine into said container and leave over night. Turn around next day and continue the soak and see how much the wood absorbs.

Prepare to go... Wow!

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

Polyanwood,cuprinol clear wood preserver is not paint,so nothing will come off. And dipping is a good way,but if your hive is allready assembled you could cut down a 205 litre drum and put in a few gallons,say six,you can pick this up quite cheap around £150 and will keep to do some more hives.Or you could dip them in boiling wax.