Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: FordGuy on April 12, 2005, 09:52:13 AM

Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: FordGuy on April 12, 2005, 09:52:13 AM
I actually am favoring a grey/beige/moss color to blend in with surroundings.  Nothing against white, it is traditional, but what is the science behind hive color?
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Robo on April 12, 2005, 10:08:07 AM
light color = cooler
dark color = hotter
mix mistakes = cheap :lol:

It is mainly comes down to personal choice.
Title: I like to make a colorful beeyard.
Post by: jathomas on April 12, 2005, 10:39:16 AM
Admittedly, it is kind of an inefficient way to work, having one all blue hive, and one all yellow hive, etc.  But I saw a lot of images of European hives that were all colorful, and I really wanted some like that.

It's much easier if you have all your hives one color, because you can just grab a super box without caring what color it is.  It wasn't hard when I had two hives, but now I have five.  By now I've gotten to the point where I'll put a green super on an orange hive.

(http://www.mindspring.com/~jathomas/Photos/super_colors.jpg)
Drying freshly painted supers
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Jerrymac on April 12, 2005, 10:53:33 AM
You missed a spot on that top one.
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: jathomas on April 12, 2005, 10:57:58 AM
Dang it.
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Robo on April 12, 2005, 11:02:10 AM
Oh No!   You cut the handles upside down :wink:
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Finsky on April 12, 2005, 11:02:17 AM
Try this style . From Russia.

(http://www.photostranger.com/gallery/gallery_russia/yaroslavl/images/008yaroslavl01h.jpg)
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Jay on April 12, 2005, 11:02:22 AM
Nice lookin' supers! Did you build the top two? I notice the handles are cut differently and they are rabbetted instead of box joints. Nice colour selection. :D
Title: In Russia, beehives make YOU!
Post by: jathomas on April 12, 2005, 11:17:58 AM
Thanks!

The box cuts are from BJ Weeks, who resells them cheap from Dadant, and he's local, so no shipping!

The other ones are some as-yet-unused cypress boxes from Rossman Apiaries.  Last year they showed box cuts on their website, but when they showed up, they weren't.  At the time I was told they don't do box cuts anymore.  Sure wish I hadn't ordered so much!  I've heard that cypress is supposed to last longer than pine, but my Rossman parts with rabbets are already starting to show small problems around the corners.

I have since aquired access to a table saw, and will be making a lot of my woodenware myself.  I will post pics, of course.
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Horns Pure Honey on April 12, 2005, 12:20:30 PM
Those are amazing Finsky!!! :D
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: photokid on April 13, 2005, 02:58:36 PM
That's fantastic, Finsky! I want one. Do they work well? How do they work?
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Violacea on April 13, 2005, 03:56:20 PM
Better not show that to my bees, they'll all get jealous and fly off to Russia.
Title: Hive Color
Post by: Butterchurn on April 14, 2005, 11:43:12 PM
Wow!

Thanks for the photo of the Russian hive, Finsky!  That's cool.

Can you give us any info about the photo?  Where was this taken?  Any contact information about the origin of these hives?  Do they have movable frames?

I'm fascinated with this.  Much more pleasing than the British Garden Hive.

Ron
Title: Science behind hive color? White? john Deere Green?
Post by: Finsky on April 15, 2005, 01:24:44 AM
I have not a faintest idea, where this beauty is?
I just found it from google.
Here is main site http://www.photostranger.com

Here are photographers
All pictures: Svetlana Nogteva,  Alex Vorontsov
e-mail: [email protected]
.