----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob & Liz" <[log in to unmask]>

> All colors are equal on a cloudy day.  The sun shinning on the hive would
create winter warmth for the  dark hive.
> >
> >White is not the warmest color for winter.
>
> Black would be.

I thought that black will both absorb AND radiate heat better than white -
so whilst it may be help to warm the hive on a sunny winter day, it will
also cause it to lose more heat when the sun is not shining.

White will have the opposite effect, reflecting the sun but also reducing
heat loss from the hive when the sun is not shining.

Not sure which is best, but given that bees tend to live in holes in trees
where they are well insulated from the outside world, perhaps white is the
better option for its insulating properties.  Having said that, my bees seem
to do well in unpainted hives (I dip them in hot wax, as I believe that they
do in New Zealand).

Peter Edwards