Super painted inside?

SmokeEater2 · May 28, 2008, 03:54:54 PM

I bought some new,unused supers from a lady recently and one of them has been painted inside and out. Will this harm the bees with the inside being painted on this super? I dread trying to sand all the paint off the inside but I will if need be.

Ross · May 28, 2008, 06:24:39 PM

If the paint is dry it is unlikely to cause a problem. The only exception is lead paint that hasn't been sold in years.

doak · May 28, 2008, 06:28:36 PM

Hand held torch and wire brush.
doak

Bee-Bop · May 28, 2008, 07:15:33 PM

Best bet don't worry about it, as Ross said.

If you can, leave it outside and let it air out good.

Only problem I can think of is; will the color match the bees decorateing scheme ??? ;)

Bee-Bop

Wes Sapp · May 29, 2008, 09:45:25 PM

Don't sweat it! Beesource.com's plans for a 10 frame Langstroth beehive say to paint all surfaces: inside, outside, top, and bottom with 2 coats of paint.

wayseer · May 31, 2008, 04:40:42 AM

All surfaces should be painted after all cracks and holes filled with putty. A clean interior surface will not harbour any nasties and the bees keep it clean and not likely to glue it up. In construction I paint all joints as I nail - very messy but gets the paint into all those cracks and seals the joint. I use a good water base paint which does not have any residue affect on the bees.

However, before all this I have my supers and tops and bottom copper napthanate dipped by my supplier which preserves the timber. This stuff is deadly to bees so I let it air for some three weeks before undertaking construction and painting.

JP · May 31, 2008, 09:30:34 AM

Quote from: SmokeEater2 on May 28, 2008, 03:54:54 PM
I bought some new,unused supers from a lady recently and one of them has been painted inside and out. Will this harm the bees with the inside being painted on this super? I dread trying to sand all the paint off the inside but I will if need be.

Like the others said it is a matter of acceptance. If the boxes were painted a while ago and its not oil based things should be fine. If we can smell it, what dou you think the bees think of it, their sense of smell is way better than ours.

...JP

Michael Bush · May 31, 2008, 02:53:08 PM

I wouldn't worry about it.

SmokeEater2 · May 31, 2008, 10:53:52 PM

Thanks for all the answers everyone! I'll leave as is and not worry about it. Besides, it's a really nice paint job. :-D