# Painting hive boxes



## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

The only reason not to paint the mating surfaces would be if it is uneven and leaves gaps. Gaps will allow intruders in like wax moths and small hive beetles. There is little reason to paint the mating surfaces since they get wax and propolis all over anyway. If the supers were plywood I would paint the mating surfaces anyway. Don't worry if you do get paint on the mating surfaces anyway. The hive tool scrapes it right back off.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

How much free time do you have?


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

I paint them with the wood all stacked up, before the box is assembled. Don't paint the inside of the box though.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I don't paint the mating surfaces because they stick together when I use latex paint. Invariably, when you maintain boxes, you get some on those surfaces. Over time, the stickiness goes away. You're fine if you don't paint them.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I didn't used to paint them, then I noticed where I didn't paint often rotten away much faster. I do paint them now, and like that I do. It does cause the boxes to stick together, so I just use a little bit of Vaseline, which eventually wears away when the boxes arn't sticky anymore.

I don't know for sure that painting the mating parts helps with the rot, but it does help with my piece of mind. You would be fine if you didn't paint them though.


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## theriverhawk (Jun 5, 2009)

I assemble the boxes, making sure there is plenty of glue at the contact points. This is the "waterproofing". I find it easier to paint assembled. Paint one side, flip, paint, flip, etc...then set down. Next box, same thing, set down at an angle on the previous box to allow air flow where needed. 
Now, if I was assembling 100+ boxes, I might do it different. But my way, I am able to get a good coating on everything and dry time is minimal. Just made 10 nuc boxes and will be painting then and numerous supers at the first 50+ degree 2 days in a row opportunity.


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

I had the same question, once, but wound up taping half the mating edge up longways and painting them. Once the paint dried, I removed the tape the outside half was painted while the inside half was not. To paint or not to paint? I did both at the same time, lol. I figured propolis would take care of the unpainted portion. -james


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## JRH (Dec 30, 2010)

Somebody somewhere recently mentioned a hive painting trick that bears repeating - hang several hive bodies on a 2 X 4 suspended between two sawhorses. Paint, rotate, paint, rotate ...


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## MDS (Jan 9, 2011)

I paint the "mating" end of my hives - for now that is. I'm only in my second year of beekeeping so I have not had a chance to see if it makes a difference in my equipment or others. I live in Missouri which has a different climate than say Washington State.

Sure would be nice not to have to paint the mating ends because of the time it takes for the ends to dry which causes an extra step. If time was money, which is hardly ever is for my hobbies, I would build or buy a bunch of parts and paint them all at once in as quickly a way as possible which I'm sure would mean not painting the mating ends. It's all situational.

JRH - Thanks for the pass-on regarding the 2x4 method. Makes a lot of since.


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

I don't paint the eges or the insides of the boxes. But since most of the free cut-offs I use come with 2 coats of acrylic primer on both sides and all edges, the interiors of most of my hives are painted inside.

The bees do not seem to be affected. They do not cover it with propolis. They do not die from it. They do not complain about the color. They do not stop raising brood or making honey. The wood does not rot or check because of it. The paint does not cause excess moisture buildup or condensation. In fact, I don't see any reason for all the warnings not to do it except that it isn't really necessary.

Wayne


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

I stack the supers (on a pallet) with tile spacers (very cheap from Home Depot) and place several internal frame feeders full of water in the top box for weights. The first coat is oil based primer. The second coat is 1:1 primer with oil based ext paint. The primer has hardeners that accelerate the curing of the mix (you can add Japan hardener instead). The third coat is the same as the second unless I have a lot of cure time ahead of me then I will use only the ext alkyd paint which takes a lot of time to cure. When all the stacks are dry the boxes can be taken down and tile spacers removed. The tile spacers keep the boxes from being glued together by the paint. I started out with a long painting jig that I built but found stacking allows much faster used of the paint roller. If you use a 4 way pallet and place boxes in only two of the 4 spots kitty corner, then you can get the paint on all four sides.


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

I thought you were not supposed to use oil-based paints, but only latex? If oils are OK, that opens up the possibility to use a lot more junk/scrap paint lying around being otherwise wasted. -james


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## Daddy'sBees (Jul 1, 2010)

An interesting twist: I noticed Michael Bush shows dipping his hives in a wax/rosin mixture. It looks cool, but not sure I can implement it for me though. I would love to do something similar, but ....


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## TxFirefighter (Dec 14, 2010)

dixiebooks said:


> I thought you were not supposed to use oil-based paints, but only latex? If oils are OK, that opens up the possibility to use a lot more junk/scrap paint lying around being otherwise wasted. -james


What difference does it make? As long as the boxes are protected and you arn't putting on any kind of lead based paint.

I've seen both used.


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

TexasFirefighter: I don't know what difference it would make. That's why I asked. I just read previously that we should use only 100% acrylic latex, not oil-based paint.

-james (an AL firefighter/emt)


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

A lot of guys use latex paint but it hasn't come close in performance for me. A high solids oil/alkyd over an oil primer has outlasted my latex boxes by many years. Some people have posted that they have latex in the yard that is quite old. Latex paints have always peeled and flaked after a few years so I stick with what works for me. 
Latex generally forms a coat over the surface of the wood and doesn't really penetrate. My main goal is to get the end grain on the joints to absorb paint so they don't suck up water during the wet months. While painting I usually roll over the joints a few extra times with the roller to be certain I have good coverage over the joint. All of my oil/alkyd boxes are like new while the latex boxes are becoming firewood. Once the water does its thing, the rabbit joints tend to spread which causes the frames to drop off the rabbit while working the hive. I have not ever had this happen with a box built with finger joints, glued with either urethane or TitebondIII, and painted with an oil/alkyd. 
Dipping boxes is a wax resin mix sounds great and I hope to get to that point.


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## Jaseemtp (Nov 29, 2010)

what about using linseed oil? anyone know how well that works or last? I was planning on going with the natural look of the wood to help the hives blend in so not to draw attention.
Jason


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

Not good

http://books.google.com/books?id=sP...A#v=onepage&q=water vapor linseed oil&f=false


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## WI-beek (Jul 14, 2009)

Oldtimer said:


> I paint them with the wood all stacked up, before the box is assembled. Don't paint the inside of the box though.


Brilliant! That is take pain the the rear end out of it.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

I like to make sure that the paint gets in the holes where you hammer nails (or use screws as I prefer), and the nail doesn't cover up the inside of that hole very well. I.E. you have to paint after assembly (at least for me). It also makes sure that I seal up those ends real good.

But, if I was dipping in parafin wax I'd do it before assembly. That's just me though.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

Any pre-assembly treatment needs to avoid the joints which kind of defeats the purpose. How does one get glue to stick to paint or wax? And if you say - skip the glue - then how do you keep the water out of the joint?


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

No problem with oil based paint. In fact, I prefer it. There may be a small amount of extra work to clean up but oil base will last a long time and it dries hard. I used to prime with oil and paint with latex. A few got oil primer and oil topcoat and their awesome. This winter, nearly everything gets an oil topcoat. I wish we still had the old oil paints. Nothing lasted like that.


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## JRH (Dec 30, 2010)

I disagree with the idea that linseed oil makes a poor finish for beekeeping equipment. A two coat mixture of 2:1 linseed oil and turpentine is inexpensive and effective. I have used it for several years on everything except bottom boards. The turpentine carries the oil deeper into the wood.

This finish was used by quality cabinetmakers before the invention of modern paints and finishes and is still in use today, although for the wonderful glow of an oil finish on a fine piece of furniture, you need several coats over several days initially - unnecessary on beekeeping equipment.

The old adage is "once a day for a week, once a week for a month" for an oil finish on fine furniture. Rub with a soft cloth until your hand gets warm! No need for rubbing on your beekeeping equipment.

Beekeeping gear has the advantage that the exposed wood is all vertical, except for parts of the bottom board or the hive stand. Try it. You get a nice brown color that shows the grain of your wood.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

I hate to be disagreeable myself but oil finishes in general do very little to stop water vapor. Oils will shed some liquid water but are almost no barrier to vapor. Don't take my word for it - simply do a search and see for yourself. There are many articles on this subject.


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## Jaseemtp (Nov 29, 2010)

what would you suggest for a natural look HVH? I dont want the hives to stand out to much and really just blend in where my fruit trees are.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesdipping.htm
I like these a lot.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

Nice! I know a BK with geothermal and a dipping tank - free heat. 

I don't know of a clear finish that would work other than perhaps the wax/resin. Most finishes lacking pigment are susceptible to UV and don't hold up that well. UV blockers are added but probably don't hold up as well as pigments. If a natural look is a must then woods like cypress may hold up better with an oil finish because they resist rot. If stealth is important then a compromise may be in order where the hive just won't last as long.


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## JRH (Dec 30, 2010)

I see you are a believer in oil-based paint but not a linseed and oil mix.



HVH said:


> The first coat is oil based primer. The second coat is 1:1 primer with oil based ext paint... The third coat is the same as the second.


Three coats of oil-based paint.

Quoting from Wikipedia: "Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine."

Regards,
JRH


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

I hope you are not suggesting that linseed oil = linseed oil plus solids. It would be like making a loaf of bread without flour and saying that at least it still has water and salt.

What do you mean by a linseed and oil mix?


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## herbcoop (Jun 2, 2011)

JRH said:


> Somebody somewhere recently mentioned a hive painting trick that bears repeating - hang several hive bodies on a 2 X 4 suspended between two sawhorses. Paint, rotate, paint, rotate ...


I pick up my hive tomorrow and I can't wait to try painting with this method of 2 saw horses and the 2x4
Thanks for the idea!!
Herb


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## bernt_one (Feb 15, 2010)

I've used this idea and it works great!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-.../GApBbFwVHlk/s640/2011-04-09%252017.17.08.jpg


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## sevenmmm (Mar 5, 2011)

Great idea! Thanks!


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## AuntBee (Apr 26, 2011)

I love your quote, Ravenseye. That how my husband feels.


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## BeeBrothersApiary (Oct 14, 2007)

Oil preserves wood the longest without peeling. Bees don't seem to care. Whatever cheap, crazy color, mis-tint exterior they have at lowes or home depot. *Rub Beeswax on top n bottom edges to limit boxes sticking together *and a light coat on the inside if you have lotsssssssss of free time. I paint the mating edges if i can.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I actually enjoy painting up boxes. It's a great winter project. Too busy in the spring and summer but it keeps me feeling like I'm in the bee business all year. Thanks AuntBee. Poor husband


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## forgeblast (Feb 4, 2011)

I used beeswax melted into linseed oil. I made a double boiler out of two different sized coffee cans. the bottom one was filled with water and i put the bees wax chunk (melts faster if smaller pieces) and linseed oil in the other. I heated it up with a propane torch. I just use a foam brush to paint the boxes. When warm it goes on so smooth, fast too. I didnt paint the inside of my warre, but everything else was painted.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?255989-Painting-Boxes


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