Hello Phyllis, I am also a greenhorn to beekeeping. My first hive also did that after a good downpour. I talked to a keeper friend & he said thay were just cleaning the hive. Sure enough, flakes of paint started to appear on the front porch of the hive a couple days later. Enjoy. God Bless, Kelley Rosenlund [log in to unmask] In the metropolis of Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.