One of the many reasons for losses of hives after a swarm is the newly hatched virgin queen returning to the wrong hive after her mating flight, and being killed. A multi-colored painted hive body can solve this. This is why you should alternate the color of your beehive boxes. The queen can also be killed by returning to the bee yard and not being able to find the exact box she emerged from. Queens raised from NUCs or from eggs inside a hive that have swarmed must make a mating flight to a DCA (drone congregation area). This can be several miles from your apiary. Then she must return to her hive. She may even make several flights to the DCA over the first few days after she emerges to make sure she has enough sperm to carry on her duties for the next couple of years. If she returns and enters the wrong painted hive body she will be promptly killed by either the workers of that hive or the queen herself. Unless she manages to kill the queen and then is killed by the workers. Then you may be faced with the loss of both hives! If you alternate the color of your beehive boxes, you solve this problem. There are easy means to prevent this. Don't paint all your hives the same color, choosing instead to alternate the color of your beehive boxes. This includes multiple boxes in the same hive. Such as two hive bodies and a super. Use multi-colored a painted hive body and honey super instead. Bees see much differently than we do. I liken it to old 8-bit computer graphics from the 1980's. Bees are good at making out patterns, blocks of color, but not very good at seeing the detail of any kind. It is for this reason that we recommend you paint each of your boxes in different colors. Especially if you have hives next to each other. hive 1 should be painted dark first box, light second box. Then hive number 2 should be painted light first box, dark second box. This alternating paint scheme enables your queens and in fact worker bees to more quickly find their home and prevents them from going into the wrong hive on accident. This is the reason here at funny bug bees and wood works we alternate colors each time we buy paint from our supplier. Every time you order a hive body, honey super, top feeder, etc, and select the painted option it will be painted with a random pastel color. From white to yellow to blue to pink. Over time this means if you buy your boxes from us painted, you will have a very colorful apiary first, but also will be assisting your queens and workers in finding the correct home!
by Anita Deeley at BeverlyBees.com Painting a beehive is simple if you remember this basic principle. 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. Before painting you hive, you will need to coat the hive in an exterior primer first before putting on the final coat of paint. I recommend an oil based exterior primer for better weather protection, but any type of exterior house primer will work. For the pictures here I used a gray oil based primer left over from another project. The color of the primer is not important. But primer is important to seal and protect the wood, it helps the final coat of paint adhere better, and helps the surface paint resist moisture and mildew. When choosing a topcoat color, white is the classic color to pick for a hive, but almost any color will work. It is best to avoid black or another very dark color because these colors may cause the hive to get too hot in the summer sun, depending on the location (although some beekeepers in colder climates paint their hives dark for this very reason!). Any leftover exterior house paint you have lying around will work. If you’re not picky about the color, you can save a few dollars by getting quarts or gallons of discounted “oops” paint on clearance at the hardware store. As long as the color is not too dark and the paint is exterior house paint you can use it to paint your hive. One thing to consider when choosing the color to paint a hive is whether or not you want the hive to blend into its surroundings or stand out and be noticed. If you have neighbors close by who may not be happy living near a beekeeper, or your hive is in a place where it can be vandalized, it is probably best to paint the hive in muted colors or a color to blend into the apiary. This slight camouflage will help the hive remain unnoticed to most passerby’s. If this is not important to you then go ahead and have fun with it, get creative with colors and patterns, the bees won’t mind and it will make for an interesting conversation piece. This is also a fun project to do with children, who can come up with some amazing designs! Painting a bee hive is simple if you remember this basic principle. Paint the outside and leave the inside where the bees live unpainted (the only exception is the bottom board). A complete breakdown and list of which hive parts to paint is included below. For a description of the parts of a beehive please read Parts of a Beehive and watch this short video How to Set up a Beehive. How To Paint A BeehiveWooden Hive Stand – Paint all surfaces. The hive stand needs to stand up to the elements. If you use pressure treated wood for your hive stands, you will not need to paint them. That being said, I have never painted my untreated wooden hive stands and they are just fine. Bottom Board – Paint all wood surfaces. DO NOT paint the screen if using a screened bottom board. The bottom board gets the most abuse so it needs to be well protected. Hive parts painted with primer. Left to right – outer cover, screened bottom board and slatted rack.Entrance Reducer – DO NOT paint this piece. It is only used sparingly and may be chewed on by your bees if used for longer periods. Frames – DO NOT paint the frames. Outer Cover – Paint all wood surfaces on the outside. Paint the top and bottom edges and inner sides. DO NOT paint the inside/underside. DO NOT paint the metal top. The parts of one hive painted with gray primer and left to dry in the sun. As seen left to right – two hive boxes, slatted rack, screened bottom board and outer cover. This photo illustrates what parts of the hive to paint and what parts to leave unpainted. After this primer dries the hive will be painted yellow to match our house.Here is a link to a helpful graphic from Essex County Beekeepers Association indicating what parts of a hive to paint. Copyright © 2011-2014. Anita Deeley, BeverlyBees.com. All rights reserved. Sign Up Now for our email newsletter to get beekeeping tips!Other Posts You May Enjoy: |