I get a lot of questions about the best way to paint a beehive. New beekeepers are concerned about bothering bees or contaminating hives with certain paints, and rightly so! In this blog I will share a few tips about prepping your woodenware and share some options when it comes to personalizing your beehives.

When I am asked about painting a hive I ask “do you paint your house?” and people normally laugh. But really-don’t you want to protect the wood on your home? Do you paint the wood for your chicken coop or your fence? Most likely you do. To me it’s the same thing when it comes to beehives. Would the bees prefer to live in a tree trunk with no paint? Probably, yes. But, if you are preparing for bees they are probably going to live in a box in your yard. So my suggestion is-paint it. It protects the bees from their house collecting too much moisture (which can kill them) or mold and it protects your investment.

Research shows that painted hives help minimize drift because it helps bees identify their hive. This makes it healthier for bees in the long run since drift can cause infections to spread.

1. You can use Killz Exterior Prime to protect against water damage and mold before putting on your color coat.
2. Exterior paint is what you need for the outside of your boxes. A quart of paint should do it but if you don’t want to spend too much money check out the section at Lowes or Home Depot where they put paint that has been returned or the color wasn’t what the person wanted, etc.
3. You don’t want to use a dark color for your hives. Beehives get hot enough as it is, so light colors are best.
4. Some beekeepers want a more natural look so they will burn the outside of their boxes. This is called Shou Sugi Ban. There are more steps involved than just burning the wood. If you want to protect it long term you must follow all steps: charring the wood, cooling it, cleaning it, washing it, and finishing it with oil.
5. Penofin Stain & Sealer might also be a good way to protect your woodenware. It’s available in a few colors and has UV protection, it’s waterproof, mold & mildew protection, and the best part is its low VOC!
6. Buy boxes made of hardwood (cypress or cedar) so they last longer! If you aren’t sure thae boxes are made of ask the vendor or bee store owner. Softwood (pine) is usually cheaper but it holds moisture faster than hardwood and you have to replace or repaint it more often than hardwood.
7. Exterior latext and paint primer will have the best protections from the weather with the least being an oil finish.

If you want to try a different approach I would encourage you to do your own research but I have just a few more tips:

• Painting your hives different colors helps lessen “drift”. Tom Seeley found that 40% of bees will drift if they are in apiaries that have hives lined up in a row that are all the same color. This can also help virgin queens find their hives again!
• Paint your hives at least a week before you are getting your first colony so the smell calms down by the time the bees arrive
• Pay close attention to the joints! They can rot easily (it’s happened to me). Trust me, it’s a PAIN to have to replace a splitting brood box going into winter.
• I used a spray laquer on some of the hives to protect the artwork, but those faded pretty quickly
• I use two coats of paint on each hive
• You can use Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung oil for a natural finish on hives.
• Stains have a protective UV coating and may last longer than just an oil.
• Use a small roller rather than a paintbrush. Unless you are a masochist, like me. (lol)
• Do NOT paint the edges of the box where they stack on one another. This is a P A I N and believe me you don’t want these boxes sticking together when it’s 90 degrees out during a dearth.