I used Hammerite Garage Door # paint to paint my MB poly hives, Two coats - a week apart (it was winter and painted in the garage)... three years later and it looks like new.
# the solvent in the paint dissolves a thin layer of poly and makes a very strong surface,,
Last edited by madasafish; 10-07-2016 at 07:50 PM.
Not the outside ... the interface where the box contacts the floor or the crownboard. These are the bits that get all the attention from hive tool.
However, also interested to know the coverage you get from the Hammerite garage Door paint (those boxes look good, though I hate painting all those little handholds) ... do you thin it, can you apply it with a spray gun and how many boxes can you cover from each 750ml can?
I just painted by brush from the tin. One 750ml can had about 1/5th left over..After two coats..Originally Posted by fatshark
Yes you can thin and spray... I don't have a spraygun and painting in a garage spraying without air extraction is not recommended..
Edit: I painted the interface between boxes where the hive tool goes.. NOT the actual join on MB boxes - as they would stick together...
I would take a picture but it is raining and the box is full of bees and QCs.. (in the supers)
Last edited by madasafish; 11-07-2016 at 06:56 PM.
That's not what the advice was about. If the grade of poly is decent the SMALL amount of compression that arises from normal use of the hive tool actually makes the poly tougher.
The varnish advice was for two reasons. The first version of the National/Smith was, for reasons of economy at the outset, made moulded to the correct frame height rather than with special slots in them for fitting frame rests. Thus meant that from time to time there would need to be cleaning of the poly surface done, and in most cases this would be by hive tool or perhaps by knife. Putting a tougher surface on the material thus protected it from damage.
Also there is the issue of bees chewing at the boxes, and the interface between boxes, unless kept almost obsessively clear of bits and pieces, and NEVER used for fly board splits, is an area where some degree of light ingress happens. This can be by small gaps between the boxes, or, especially in the Nationals made to be compatible size wise with wood, due to translucence of the material letting in increased light in the frame rest area. More light getting can mean the bees start looking for an alternative entrance and begin chewing at the material, and over a protracted period start to erode away at the walls of the box. This varnishing makes it very hard for the bees to get their little jaws into the poly and start to chew it. So the rebate area is important, and the reason the bottom edges of the box are treated the same is that, in upper boxes, they are part of the same recess that the rebate form and the bees can chew at the upper side of the recess (part of the box above) as well as the part that is the lower box.
It has become a rather corrupted message in the UK as everyone adds their own spin as to reasons for this that and the next thing, but these were the real original reasons, and I helped write it in conjunction with my Scandinavian colleagues with long experience of the boxes.
Hive tool damage is largely mythical unless you go mad with it along the rebate. We have 20 year old boxes used every year in the brood nest, and even they show very little hive tool marking. There have been, however some seriously crappy soft, crumbly or brittle poly versions produced over the years, and still are.
All clear now, many thanks. These are Swienty, so hopefully not " crappy soft, crumbly or brittle"
Depends which model you have. Most of their own branded stuff is made by Styropak and is excellent with a good smooth finish to it. Some of the other provenances they occasionally use can be a bit variable. Have had a very poor consignment of roofs that were way under specified density and crumbled. They came from an independent moulder in Sweden.All clear now, many thanks. These are Swienty, so hopefully not " crappy soft, crumbly or brittle"
Painting nucs is easier using a paint pad because you don't have to thin the paint or cope with overspray and breathing masks etc
http://www.harrisbrushes.com/how-to/paintpads
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Still out of stock !!
https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/poly-hi...ive-brood-box/
I bought some of these hives (7) they come prepainted
But brood boxes have been out of stock since Spring on the website
No doubt someone will come along to say if you ring Damien he will rustle you up a few
Pretty poor never the less
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Yes - give Damien a ring! I'm sure you'll get them before next spring. Are you happy with your seven Abelos, DR?
Kitta
I bought 7 this year very happy with them but will need to double brood next year I spoke to Damian yesterday and he told me they will be delivered by end of October if that's of any help
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