We have a tradition of painting our supers and since we’ve never had any issues with paint, we continue to do so.
We acknowledge that many beekeepers wax dip their equipment. I will not argue one way or the other because there are many advantages to wax dipped equipment including the killing of nosema spores in winter dead outs etc. Wax dipping is popular is due to the moisture inside the wood evaporating and is replaced with wax. These boxes no longer rot, and can last 50 years or more. But they don’t look that great; they quickly develop an old wooden look in 5 years.
When you paint, it’s important to know that nothing that comes into contact with the inside of the beehive requires paint. Bees will wax it over in no time and it’s not going to be an issue. You also don’t want to expose the inside of a hive to paint; it’s not necessary. That means the inside of an outercover doesn’t require paint. The inside of supers and bottom boards do not require paint. I do paint the bottom side of bottom boards because they are exposed to the elements.
When you paint honey supers, stack them up as high was you can paint. About 7 -8 supers high should be doable depending on your height. The boxes should be inverted so you can reach the inside if the handle. The super handles areeasy to miss due to the angles. We prime everything once and then add on two additional thick coats of Acrylic Latex HP 2000 paint from Sherwin Williams. It’s a top quality paint and we have never had any issues from the bees. There is no need to use ‘Bee Safe’ paint as long as you give your paint a couple days to dry and air out before using the equipment.
I’ll admin it, I’m biased towards using white paint. I like consistency so I paint everything the same colour but it’s not necessary. It’s probably better for the bees to have multiple colours in your yard to aid navigation, especially in nuc yards or where queens mate. You can always compensate by not placing mating nucs too close together etc.
While white may look plain, I feel it’s the best colourfor beehives in summer. Darker colours attract more sunlight and will heat the hives a little more than white colours will. While it’s advantageousin summer, perhaps not so much in early springwhere a little extra heat could help. It’s a give and take situation and perhaps it’s not that important.
While it gets figured out, I’ll continue painting white, because if it ain’t broken, why fix it?
Many beekeepers in warmer climates paint their hives with lighter, more reflective colors such as whites or pastels. This helps keep the hive cool during those long, sweltering summer days. In colder climates, beekeepers might choose darker colors to absorb more of the sun's warmth during winter.
Light paints, such as white, can help reflect sunlight and keep the hive cooler in hot temperatures. Dark paints can help absorb the sun's warmth and keep the hive warmer in the winter. Depending on the climate you live in, you may wish to choose either light or dark paint for your bee box.
Paint the outside and leave the inside where the bees live unpainted. While it is not necessary to paint your hive and some people choose not to do it at all, painting a hive will help it stand up to the elements and last longer. Paint helps protect wooden hive parts from the rain, snow, sun and other weather elements.
Curing time is much longer than the dry-to-the-touch time or the recoat interval — at least 30 days. Allowing the application time to cure completely is particularly important for bee equipment that is stacked up in a hive assembly.
Many beekeepers do not want to draw extra attention to their hives. Whether you're concerned about nosy neighbors, curious kids or even malicious vandals, painting a hive to blend in to its environment is a good idea.
The most important rule is to paint the outside of the hive but leave any interior parts alone. The exterior portions of your hive need extra protection from the elements, but any paint on the inside can affect your honey bees and the honey they make.
Which Colors Make Them Attack? You might not think of dark colors such as red or black as being aggressive, but when it comes to bees and wasps, it's true. Darker colors will sometimes be interpreted as natural predators such as bears and skunks.
To paint bee hives, use a latex paint, it dries faster and is easier to clean off of you. Don't paint the inside of the hive, only the outside and the hive rims. Also don't paint frames, inner covers and queen excluders. You can paint the edge of screened inner covers.
Spray the hive with insecticide during dawn or dusk.
During these times of day, the population of bees is at its highest giving you a better chance of killing more of them. Spraying a couple of days in a row may also be beneficial depending on the size of the hive.
Latex (Water Based Paint) Latex (also called water-based) paint is the most common finish for beehives because it is the cheapest and most available paint type.
Don't: Spray chemicals or pesticides into the hive. This won't kill the bees immediately, but it will aggravate them––probably not what you were going for. Professional bee removal services will look for ways to lure bees away instead of killing them.
You also don't want to expose the inside of a hive to paint; it's not necessary. That means the inside of an outercover doesn't require paint. The inside of supers and bottom boards do not require paint. I do paint the bottom side of bottom boards because they are exposed to the elements.
Some beekeepers do this, but there is logic behind the odd collection of colours. Bees see colours well. They see a higher spectrum than we do, from yellow through to ultra-violet, though they interpret them quite differently – for example, it is said that bees see red as black.
A bee's colour receptors are ultraviolet, blue and green. They can see reddish wavelengths such as yellow/orange but because bees don't have a red receptor as such, they can't "see" red light. The colour we see so vividly is, quite literally, unseen by bees. Bees see blue-green, blue, violet and “bee purple”.
Bees play an essential role in feeding the world, with around one third of the food we consume reliant on pollination by bees as well as other insects, birds and bats. Closer up, colours likely to attract bees, say scientists, are purple, violet and blue.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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