Enamel paint for beehives

01 · SUBSTRATES

The box and the roof, with the same product

The sheet-metal roof takes the worst of the sun and is the part most often left out of the repaint, because timber paint does not key onto metal. This enamel is formulated to bond on timber and on metal surfaces, so the whole hive ends up with the same finish and the same colour. On smooth galvanising, abrade first to give it a key: that holds for this enamel and for any other.

02 · FINISH

Satin that will not yellow and still lets the wood breathe

Satin holds the colour better than a matt and wipes clean with a rag, which on the roof you appreciate. And for all that it is an enamel, it is breathable: it lets out the vapour the colony makes instead of sealing it under the film, which is what ends up flaking a sealed paint off a populated box.

03 · APPLICATION

Touch-dry in an hour, but check the thermometer

Apply by brush, roller or spray, stirring the tub well before you start. It is touch-dry in an hour, so a batch goes through in a morning. The limit that really governs is temperature: do not apply it below 5 °C nor on a heavy, humid day, because there the enamel never forms the film properly. On new timber the manufacturer recommends a base primer first.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

If you are only painting timber and prefer a quieter matt, the water-based paint from the same maker works out cheaper and washes off with water just the same. This enamel earns its place when metal enters the equation or when you want a satin that holds its colour. The four shades — earth red, storm grey, pistachio and sky blue — also serve to tell rows apart in the apiary and cut drifting.