Painting and Preparing Equipment
It
is best to paint the outside of your hives,
especially new equipment, with a good primer coat
followed with two coats of a good quality
light-colored paint. A good outdoor latex will work
just fine. Alternately, you can use copper
napththenate to preserve the exterior wood surface.
Do not paint or apply anything to the inside
surfaces of your hive bodies. The bees will take
care of the inside surfaces.
Used equipment should be scraped on the inside to
remove all the old wax and propolis. A propane torch
should then be used to lightly scorch the inside of
the super to kill any
foulbrood
spores that might be present.
Bottom boards and the OUTSIDE of hive bodies and the
OUTSIDE of other parts can be painted with copper
napththenate as a preservative. Allow to air-dry
forty-eight (48) hours before using on your bees.
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