Author Topic: Best Paints For Hives (Read 8221 times)

PhilK · « **on:** May 25, 2016, 08:44:54 pm »

G'day,

Buying some gear to prep for spring, including some lids and supers etc. Would like some advice on the best paint to use for the hives. I've done a search of the forum but a lot of the stuff I have found is US based suppliers/brands etc.

I have some primer at home, but no outer coat stuff. Looking to buy some more, but not sure on the recommended ones - what do you reckon?

Honeycomb king · « **Reply #1 on:** May 26, 2016, 05:53:19 am »

I use acrylic on the inside, paint all joints well before assembly. External I use dulux prep coat oil based X2 coats, light sand between Coates. Top coat with dulux full gloss exterior oil based. Each to their own, but if there is anything I've done my whole life is paint bee boxes. As a child that was my fathers idea of school holiday fun. But seriously oil based is the only thing to save the timber well enough for the boxes to survive our harsh conditions. Yes I've tried other products as convinced by paint salesman etc. Quality oil based is my tip. The other thing I try to do is bring boxes back in after their first 2 years for a light sand and a top coat. With that too I colour code each year, always white but with a shade of whatever other color so I can pick which summer was their first. This year is " duck egg blue".
But I f there is one thing every beekeeper does different it's box painting. Good luck.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 26, 2016, 12:36:24 pm »

Phil,
If you really want your boxes to last a long time, boil them in wax. There is another ingredient that I do not recall, maybe Micheal will chime in with its name.
The wax boils out the water and replaces it with wax. Looks great and lasts a long time. Do it once and your done.
The big downfall is the up front expense for equipment and wax.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 26, 2016, 12:38:21 pm »

Here is a link to a video on how to do it.
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=boiling+bee+hives+in+wax&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

PhilK · « **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2016, 07:03:25 pm »

Thanks for the reply HCK - why the difference between inside and outside paints? I have heard a lot of people that don't paint the insides - is that just personal preference?

Jim I've heard of that but that is way outside what I can achieve

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 26, 2016, 07:06:52 pm »

Phil,
I didn't know how many supers you had to paint. If you had a lot it would pay off.
Jim

Honeycomb king · « **Reply #6 on:** May 26, 2016, 09:28:34 pm »

Less toxins in the acrylic paint for internal. Painting both sides of timber reduces the amount of warping. But a piece of wood out in the weather with only one side painted and see what happens, better still put 3 pieces out one painted both sides and the last raw timber.
Paint joins and the top and bottom edges as a priority. Once assembled sand corners a little rounded so that the paint is less likely to chip, paint won't stick to the corners.
I hate painting, so when I do it I try to make it last.

PhilK · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2016, 01:32:27 am »

Quote from: Honeycomb king on May 26, 2016, 09:28:34 pm

Paint joins and the top and bottom edges as a priority. Once assembled sand corners a little rounded so that the paint is less likely to chip, paint won't stick to the corners.

So you paint the 'walls' of the super including the joints before assembling? They will have finger joints.
Or do you mean to assemble then sand, then paint the joints?

kanga · « **Reply #8 on:** May 27, 2016, 05:07:36 am »

The following has been copied from a pamphlet "HOW TO" by JOHN L. GUILFOYLE PTY. LTD.

"Paint - Hoop pine is not really an outside timber, but we cannot use hard wood as it would be far too heavy. Therefore it has to be kept well painted to give you maximum service. We recommend 3 coats for the inside of the box and 4 coats for the outside. Choose a light colour as this reflects the heat. Any paint which is suitable for humans is suitable for bees.
We recommend that where possible you undercoat the joins and nail them together while the undercoat is still wet. Good quality undercoat dries into an effective glue and this helps to keep moisture out of the joins."

Honeycomb king · « **Reply #9 on:** May 28, 2016, 06:15:31 am »

Yes joints and internal walls before assembly, edges special mention as it's easy to put the box on the edge paint all the sides and forget the bottom edges. Moisture between boxes causes most of the rot plus rubbing against each other, dragged on the back of the truck etc is where they wear most.

Wombat2 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 03, 2016, 09:24:44 pm »

My 2 cents worth

Paint before assembly - lay out close together on news paper and paint with a roller - quick and easy

I don't paint insides - the bees quickly coat the insides with wax/propolyis/body oils

paint top and bottom edges with enamel paint not acrylic to stop "blocking" - Google "acrylic paint blocking" to find out what that means

Buy paint in the reject pile at Bunnings or a paint shop - cheaper - dont worry about colour so long as it is a light colour not dark

PhilK · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2016, 08:49:08 pm »

Thanks for the advice everyone - is acrylic paint blocking when the paint sticks between supers? That's super annoying - enamel paint will avoid that?

The boxes I've got have finger joints, so do I paint inside these? I imagine with a primer and 3 top coats the finger joints will be thicker and no longer fit together?

Honeycomb king · « **Reply #12 on:** June 05, 2016, 09:41:30 pm »

At least give the finger joins one primer coat before assembly. One of the reasons why I don't use finger joined more than double the surface area to paint on the joints. Time is money and paint costs money. I do a bead of liquid nails up the inside corners too.stops gaps, therefore less spots for wax moth hive beetle etc to hide.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 05, 2016, 09:42:56 pm »

You do not want to paint the joints. Like you said, they won't fit if they are tight and the glue will not bond properly.
I put them together first and then stack them up vertically as high as I can reach with a roller and paint them all at once. It goes real fast and in the summer heat, by the time I get done painting the second stack, I can go back and start the second coat.
Jim

cao · « **Reply #14 on:** June 06, 2016, 12:32:25 am »

Quote from: PhilK on June 05, 2016, 08:49:08 pm

Thanks for the advice everyone - is acrylic paint blocking when the paint sticks between supers? That's super annoying - enamel paint will avoid that?

To keep the boxes from sticking, I rub them with a bar of beeswax. You would be suprised how much it helps.

Rhino86 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 19, 2016, 10:21:10 pm »

I painted 15/07 - 17/07 and the light - medium rain around Brisbane was enough to bow two side boards 3mm, even with the primer coat and first coat applied. Changed to drop sheets(old bed sheets and plastic) from newspaper for wet weather as the newspaper sticks.

Wombat2 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 20, 2016, 08:54:05 pm »

For glue I use Sikaflex urethane - little dearer but it expands 3 times as it dries and fills all the gaps - excess comes off with a sharp chisel when dry

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 21, 2016, 06:31:06 am »

Wombat2,
That sounds like our Gorilla glue. The pieces need to be clamped or fastened together until dried, it will push them apart if not.
Jim

Wombat2 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 23, 2016, 05:27:54 am »

Quote from: sawdstmakr on July 21, 2016, 06:31:06 am

Wombat2,
That sounds like our Gorilla glue. The pieces need to be clamped or fastened together until dried, it will push them apart if not.
Jim

I use a corner strap clamp to pull in square then 3 screws each side ends into sides (rebate joins). Once screwed I can take the strap clamp off and do the next box.

Lancej · « **Reply #19 on:** July 24, 2016, 03:42:34 am »

I had a look at the boxes I painted last year, i can see why HCK paints inside and out, my paint is already cracking. I've decided to make a stainless steel tank for wax dipping and give that a go.

Rhino86 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 24, 2016, 09:29:57 pm »

Painted the second coat over the weekend. Using watyl solar guard, no gaps anywhere to be seen in the second coat. I'll let it cure for a few days. Inside and out is a gloss finish. Might spray the next super.
Thanks for the tips.

max2 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 28, 2016, 04:53:54 am »

Paint - I use "Resene" Hospital Grade and virtually no smell.

rawfind · « **Reply #22 on:** September 05, 2016, 07:24:02 pm »

The boxes i painted 5 years ago with water based paint and no treatment inside are now in various stages of decay,
I have other boxes painted with oil based which are fairing much better but i still didnt treat the inside and some moisture
has affected the insides, I would like to wax treat the inside and im toying with the idea of painting hot wax with a brush
this year , i have tried linseed oil mixed with turps this has helped but i think the wax will be better.

DocBB · « **Reply #23 on:** September 06, 2016, 01:07:08 am »

traditional Flour Paint

Recipe

Flour Paint Ingredients

Sold on the idea? Ready? Here are the ingredients you?ll need to make 10 liters (+/- 2.5 gal.) of Flour Paint, which will cover approximately 35 square meters (375 square feet) per coat. You can adjust the quantity according to your needs. Measurements are provided in both metric and US system for your convenience:

8 liters of Water (8.5 qt)
650g of White Flour (23 oz.)
2.5kg of earth pigments or iron oxydes (5.5 lbs.)
250g of Iron Sulfate (9 oz.)
1 liter of Linseed Oil (1 qt)
100ml of black soap or colorless dishwashing soap (3.4 fl.oz.)

Lancej · « **Reply #24 on:** September 24, 2016, 09:12:42 pm »

Wax dipped my first lot of boxes yesterday, then painted them, still hate painting. Also left a few unpainted to see how they go.

Andersonhoney · « **Reply #25 on:** September 24, 2016, 09:59:38 pm »

Last summer, when putting boxes together I screwed one box together with no glue or paint. Took it of a hive at the end of winter showing obvious signs of warping, splitting etc.it's now back in the shed waiting repair. It was from a lot of cheap timber I purchased so was of the thought if it saved me time in construction and painting it might be worth it if I only go t a few years. I was wrong. "A job worth doing is worth doing well".