Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: CaribBeeman on February 17, 2016, 11:24:25 PM

Title: hive body color
Post by: CaribBeeman on February 17, 2016, 11:24:25 PM
Most of the hive boxes I have seen are white. A few weeks ago I saw a hive that was dark brown. Does the color of the box matter?
Is there any advantage to having a white hive body?
Title: Re: hive body color
Post by: Cricket on February 17, 2016, 11:59:42 PM
Colors absorb heat differently and that's the reason most are light colors.

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Title: Re: hive body color
Post by: Kathyp on February 18, 2016, 12:29:52 AM
Hot Pink has become all the rage!  I recommend you repaint all of yours immediately. 

Another reason for using green, brown, etc. is to camouflage hives a bit.  People are not bothered by what they do not notice.  I have used different colors, mostly shades of light something, because it's what I got on mark down.  The lighter colors are cooler if you are in a hot place.
Title: Re: hive body color
Post by: little john on February 18, 2016, 04:51:50 AM
Caribbean ?  White or any light colour.

Britain ?  As dark as you like. The old boys used to paint the hive bodies black (using creosote) but keep the roofs white - that way any heat from the sun is absorbed when it's low in the sky (like during winter) with the white roof reflecting the midday heat during summer ... pause for laughter ... that is, in our theoretical summer.

These days most people here opt for white - but I rather think the old boys knew a thing or two.
LJ

Title: Re: hive body color
Post by: Colobee on February 18, 2016, 05:19:08 AM
I used to paint all of mine one of the "Thousand shades of white". My more recent ones are a very light brown stain, sealed with linseed. I have a few dark brown stained ones, that appear to get a bit warm in the summer sun, but no fatalities as a result.
Title: Re: hive body color
Post by: Michael Bush on February 18, 2016, 08:13:05 AM
Some of mine:
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/Stand2.jpg
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/Hives3.jpg
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/EightTenEightHives.jpg

I can only remember two or three white boxes out of several hundred...
Title: Re: hive body color
Post by: JackM on February 18, 2016, 08:28:17 AM
 :tongue:
Markdown paint in earth colors, blends in well in town