Paint--oops

[Jim Hughes]

There is plenty of time to fix this if needed, so at least I didn't mess that up.  My bees don't arrive until mid April.

I painted the main boxes with exterior latex and slopped some on the INSIDE of both.

1.  Will this matter?  Will the bees care of it is bare pine or has some fully dried//cured latex?

2.  If I need to sand off the paint, have I already contaminated the pine?

3.  Should I trash the two boxes and start over?

One of the books says never ever get paint on the inside and others don't say either way.

[iddee]

If it's thick enough, scrape it off with a putty knife. If not, then use your boxes as is and don't worry about it. If the bees don't want it there, they will remove it or seal it away with propolis.

[Michael Bush]

It won't matter.

[AllenF]

It won't hurt a thing.   I have seen where some paint inside the boxes where the frame ends are up against the box and where the ears rest on the box.   Don't hurt a bit.

[Robo]

No problem.  I acquired some deeps that were fully painted inside and out.  Bee could care less.

[fish_stix]

Lots of beeks dip their boxes so they get painted inside and outside. Don't worry about it. The bees don't care and neither should you.  :-D

[Brian D. Bray]

If you want the bees to love their new home take a propane torch and burn the paint slopped on the insides of the hive off.  Then scrape it down with a wire brush.  Bees seem to love boxes that have been charred on the inside. 
In the past, when I have been given bee equipment from someone who's husband, brother, father, etc, died and they didn't know anything about the hives, I have always gone over the insides with a blow/propane torch and often had to repaint the outside.  But the bees seem to thrive in those charred boxes.  Burn just enough to raise the grain.