Hi: I just got my first hive boxes delivered. I know people tend to paint the outside of the hive boxes white to protect them from the weather. I'm located in Northern California (Zone 9 if you are a gardener). We don't get temperatures much below 32 degrees in winter and we also don't have many days above 90 degrees in the summer. I actually like the natural color of the wood of the hive boxes. Can I just coat the outside in Krylon or some other brand of clear acrylic? -Mark
a good exterior stain works nice and makes the boxes blend in a bit better with some landscapes. Just make certain you get good coverage on the end grain. I am using a cold dip (well actually you have to warm it up just a bit) that gives much the same effect. looks nice. government formulation, so we will see how well the cold dip holds up. my wife is originally from the Palo Alto/Stanford area. we still visit out that way on occasions. beautiful area, although for this country cat it is a bit crowded.
