... Generally most hives are in full sun with black or dark lids.
Some useful recommendations, that we can apply for our hives:
"...An alternative way to maintain a cool house or reduce air-conditioning use is natural (or passive) cooling. Passive cooling uses non-mechanical methods to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature.
The most effective method to cool your home is to keep the heat from building up in the first place. The primary source of heat buildup (i.e., heat gain) is sunlight absorbed by your house through the roof, walls...
...Specific methods to prevent heat gain include reflecting heat (i.e., sunlight) away from your house, blocking the heat...
Dull, dark-colored home exteriors absorb 70% to 90% of the radiant energy from the sun that strikes the home's surfaces. Some of this absorbed energy is then transferred into your home by way of conduction, resulting in heat gain. In contrast, light-colored surfaces effectively reflect most of the heat away from your home.
Roofs
About a third of the unwanted heat that builds up in your home comes in through the roof. This is hard to control with traditional roofing materials. For example, unlike most light-colored surfaces, even white asphalt and fiberglass shingles absorb 70% of the solar radiation.
One good solution is to apply a reflective coating to your existing roof...
Another way to reflect heat is to install a radiant barrier on the underside of your roof.
A radiant barrier is simply a sheet of aluminum foil with a paper backing. When installed correctly, a radiant barrier can reduce heat gains through your ceiling by about 25%..."
From the "Cooling Your Home Naturally":
http://www.weather.com/outdoors/home-improvement/energy-tips/cooling-without-ac_2010-08-23
Boris Romanov