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
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In the metropolis of Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.