[Sr. Tanya]

I have made a small nuc and had intended on sanding the old paint off before assembling it. However, I didn't, thinking I could do it later. Now I'm finding it difficult to get the paint sanded to the wood.

My main question is: how important is it that the inside of the hives are not painted? What about older painted boards. What exactly is the problem- does it affect the bees?

Thank!

 

[Ravenseye]

I don't paint the insides. Usually the bees propolize them pretty good in a season or so. I know some folks do for a variety of reasons but if you don't paint them, don't sweat it in my book.

 

[Sr. Tanya]

The wood is already painted. It's not new paint. Does it cause harm to the bees at all?

 

[AR Beekeeper]

No, paint on the inside of the boxes does not cause the bees problems.

 

[psm1212]

Sr. Tanya: I do not know why it would cause any harm. I suppose if you are looking for worst-case scenarios, you could worry about lead-based paint, which has been banned since 1978. I think there are two main reasons people do not paint the interior of boxes: (1) they believe the raw wood encourages the bees to propolize the walls to create a more hygenic/antimicrobial environment and (2) the normal heightened sensitivity many beekeepers have toward adding any chemical or compound to a hive.

Neither of these reasons give me any cause for concern. If I were in your position, and had painted interior walls of otherwise useful equipment, I would definitely use them with no worries.

But we are all different.

 

[Sr. Tanya]

Thanks for the reassurances. I don't paint my normal hive boxes but these were scraps in the carpenter shop I was putting to good use.