quote: My question is, what wood is used to construct your hives and is it a hardwood?

In the US most hives are made of soft pine. Some use fir, cedar or even redwood. Redwood hive parts were very common in the west at one time. As far as painting is concerned, one thing that has been left out of all the comments is the fact that a high quality paint does more than just protect the wood from water, insects etc. It creates a hard surface over the softer wood that resists physical damage (for example, from being knocked about in a truck, etc.). Nothing is more vulnerable than unpainted soft wood. Hard wood for hives would be too expensive and too heavy. Furthermore, a hive or super with a couple of coats of good quality paint looks better and is easier to clean. I thought the suggestion of buying odd colored lots from the paint store (at a discounted price) was great.

Peter Borst
Ithaca NY
U S A