Painting
Our EPS "Poly" beehives will last decades, painting them will protect them from UV and provide your bees and you with a distinct identity for your beehives.
Methods
The most efficient method of painting your new HiveIQ beehives will depend on how many you need to paint. For the hobbyist beekeeper with a small number of hives, we recommend a 100mm fluffy paint roller. These are available from any hardware or paint store at a low cost.
How many coats? Apply a minimum of two coats of paint.
Use only water based, exterior grade acrylic paint.
CAUTION: Some new wash and wear paints can damage the polystyrene.
What to Paint?
Beehive Base: We recommend that you only paint the surfaces that are exposed to the external elements direct sunlight and weather conditions being the 4 vertical sides and the front landing deck. You do not need to paint the top face areas that are inside the perimeter of the beehive body or on the underside of the base because these areas are not exposed to the UV and weather. We recommend avoiding painting interior surfaces of the HiveIQ hive to avoid exposing the colony to off gassing of paints inside the beehive and to avoid having the beehive bodies sticking. Besides, the bees will perform their own painting of the interior of the beehive with propolis.
Beehive Body: Paint exterior facing surfaces only. Do not paint the inside walls or the top and bottom edges of the beehive body that are covered and therefore protected from UV by the box above and below. Optionally, whilst the plastic protective edges are UV rated, we recommend you paint these to provide maximum UV protection.
Beehive Top: Paint only the four exterior vertical faces that are exposed to the UV and weather when the Beehive Top Cover is installed. Optionally, whilst the plastic protective edges are UV rated, we recommend you paint these to provide maximum UV protection.
Step 1 of Assembly is to paint the base
Paint the EPS Beehive Base Body [HB1]. Painting the hive base body prior to assembly will avoid getting paint on the metal and plastic parts of the beehive body. Only paint the external surfaces exposed to the elements as the bees will paint the inside of the beehive with propolis if they decide it needs to be covered.