FWIW, I’ve got a WR Cedar Flow 2+ hive in Seattle, WA and it’s too rainy and wet here, and the WR Cedar with 100% pure Tung oil has not aged well (I did 4 coats last spring). It’s turned grey and looks pretty bad, so I’m going to sand and paint the whole thing white. Wish I’d done that to start!
From what I’ve gathered in my research, if you do a good job with the oil, oil on natural wood may look better, but you’ll have to refresh the oil every year or so, but the paint will last a lot longer.
I ended up sanding off the tung oil and painting the roof surfaces a few years ago for the same reason. I also painted the brood boxes on mine (Flow classics) to keep them cooler in summer. The only parts I’ve kept natural are the supers and lid fascia where the logo is.
Hi all, I’m totally new to bee keeping and expecting delivery of my wife’s 2+ unit in a couple of weeks.
What are people’s thoughts about building a freestanding cover that is shingled which, keeps all rain and 80% of the sun off of the unit altogether. This would prevent bleaching (or graying) of the natural wood, and increase its life. I’m just curious if that would impact the hive in a negative manner for any reason?
Thanks!
Hi Shawn, and welcome to the forum. I think that a freestanding roof to cover a hive is a great idea, especially on hot sunny days. I can’t see it impacting the hive in any way. When you think about it, bees like hollows in trees to build a nest in, which are usually shaded.
Great, Thanks very much Jeff- that makes sense to me!
Welcome to the forum! Good luck with your new venture and send us a pic of your setup 
Thanks Eva, I’ll definitely do that! 
