Hi All,
Just recived my Cedar Flow Hive 2, and have started to assemble slowly.
Q: 1. Do I paint while it’s dissembled or assembled?
2. What paint / oil should is safe enough to be applying to my cedar flow hive?
3. I live by the lake on the central coastline.
Thanks in advance 
It really depends how particular you. If you paint or oil it once assembled you won’t seal the ends and the wood will be more prone to absorbing moisture on the unpainted/unsealed ends. Whether or not this is an issue for you will in-part depend on your location and in-part on your personality.
If you choose to use oil, use 100% Tung oil. Put at least 3 coats on and wait a few hours to a day between coats (whether dependent). A light sand between coats is also recommended. Note that you may need to reapply the oil every few years.
If you choose to paint, use a water based paint that has no fungicide in it. Apply two coats minimum based on the instructions (usually waiting a few hours between coats).
DO NOT oil or paint the inside surfaces.
I have use Accent white fencing paint that you can buy at a Mitre10 store, it is a water based paint so you can clean up your brush in water. I put on 3 heavy coats and after up to 4 years on some hives it still looks good. I also take the time to paint the top and bottom edges as water will seap in there and sits when it rains. There is a drying time of about 6 hours between coats. There is nothing achieved by painting the inside of the hive but the odd run will do harm to the bees at all. Allow 3 days before you add bees.
Tung oil is another option thast looks good seeing the natural timber look, but it will need recoating, there is also other ‘clear’ timber finishes. If your on the NSW Central Coast then I would paint the hive white for a cool hive and place it where it will get Summer afternoon shade.
Cheers
@Peter48 means the odd run WON’T harm your bees.
Hey Alan, over here “won’t” means the same as “will not”, Like, I will not paint the hive and I won’t paint the hive both means the same, the hive isn’t (is not) painted.
Yes mate and over here in Wait Awhile ‘will do harm’ doesn’t mean the same as won’t do harm…
Funny. 
@SnowflakeHoney Apologies to you both, what I was meaning it the the odd paint run, or dribble, to the inside of the hive will not affect the bees. Funny I had to read it several times to see what was obviously a mistake, 
Additionally I would paint it once assembled so that the painting helps seal the joints and screw areas over.
Cheers
No issues @Peter48. All good.
I paint the insides of my boxes without any problems whatsoever, bee wise.
If you do want to paint the boxes after you assemble them, I’d advise priming the joints first.
I like painting over copper naphthenate, however I do have some unpainted copper naphthenate boxes & lids with no problems there either.
PS, you will do a lot worse by your bees than to paint the insides of the boxes.
Just for clarity, my comment about not painting the inside is more based around the residue smell, not all colonies liking it and thus departing. It wasn’t really meant to imply it will harm the bees, as that would depend on the specific paint used.
I fully understand the reasoning in what your saying Alan. The fencing paint I use is odor free to my sense of smell in 24 hours, but for bees I think 2 or 3 days and they would accept a fully painted box. I paint the top and bottom edges of all my boxes as rain water can sit in the gap for days after rain and I figure if unpainted at the edges that is where rot will begin of the timber and not on the vertical outside face of a box.
I remember a commercial beekeeper who like Jeff, painter his boxes by dipping first in copper nepthanate, a weeks drying then again dip painting in paint with another weeks drying. so I guess he did what worked for him.
Cheers
I have found a problem with the rear inspection window cover after painting.
I painted the finger joints of the cover and the corresponding super. Due to the fine tolerances of the joints I found that the cover wouldn’t fit correctly due to the extra paint.now present. Consequently to make the cover fit I filed off the paint. All OK when the weather if fine but during wet periods the wood swells making removing the cover very hard.
Anyone else uncounted this problem?
Any suggestions of how to overcome this issue?
Alan
I have had the same problem with my hoop pine hives where after a few days of rain like we have had lately of a night the timber swells and the window covers are hard to remove. There just isn’t a clearance to allow for painting. I guess when the computer was programed for the laser cutting no-one thought about a .5mm gap for paint thickness. Unless you have access to a band saw and a lot of patience I can’t think of another answer.
Cheers
Yes the they are a tight but like all timbers moisture content can rise. It is best to paint both sides and edges of all inspection windows for this reason. If you find they jam just sand down or file down and then paint again.
You don’t have to have thick paint you just have to seal the wood.
What I do in tight spaces.
Sand back to wood, I know the window rebate is hard to sand.
Get some marine varnish from your local paint store.
Thin a small bit of varnish and mix with mineral turpentine 20% varnish to 80% m/Turpentine.
Paint the wood with this really thin varnish. It should soak into the wood quickly.
Let it dry , sand lightly and paint again with the thin mix.
This will allow you to seal the wood without a build up of varnish or paint.
Once the second coat is dry and sanded you can coat it thinly with your undiluted varnish for aesthetics and cut it back a bit if the window is too tight. (By the way if you have had a roof leak and there is a spot on the ceiling which needs a repaint: one coat of diluted varnish over the spot/patch, then one coat of unthinned varnish, will let paint over your ceiling without leaving a trace of the leak)
Bear in mind that wood swells in humid weather as it absorbs moisture so every nook and cranny needs to be sealed.
I use copper naphthenate to paint the whole box first to prevent rot later on and then paint the outsides only. But that’s me and others have different ideas.
AND those who though I had popped off the planet …go stand in the corner. You can’t get rid of me that easily. 
Love ya always, @busso! 
Thanks everyone for their advice.
I went into Bunnings to buy some Tung Oil but had none left. So I bought Linseed Oil, I haven’t used as yet but I was told this is also good?
Thanks everyone for their advice.
I went into Bunnings to buy some Tung Oil but had none left. So I bought Linseed Oil, I haven’t used as yet but I was told this is also good?
So at this stage I have assembled my flow hive (but not all put together if that makes sense) Ive Decided to paint the roof ‘Taubman Sun Pro Exterior UV protection’ was on the sale rack 4L $20
after reading through a lot of Q’s here on the Forum, I’ve decided to paint my whole FH2 in the paint above, I forgot to mention it is a GLOSS ? IS THAT OK TO USE?
My rationale for not using Tung Oil or Linseed Oil as I don’t want to be reapplying every few years.
Any advice please…
Does anyone else sealer to the top part of the roof? (sealer prior to painting?)
TIA @Peter48 , @SnowflakeHoney, @felmo
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I don’t think the bees will mind. So long as it outdoors paint like you mention that will be fine. I still advise reconfirming it has no fungicide added to it (but I also weed by hand only…)
Well 4 litre of paint will be enough to completely paint several bee hives so I really think you have decided. 
As for the Linseed oil, as I have said before, don’t put it on a bee hive, period. Read the instructions on the paint can and it will tell you if a sealer is needed.
I use an acrylic plastic paint on my hives but my main reason is that it dries faster so I can paint 20 boxes in a day.
Cheers