> Oh, yes, another important thing: Do not paint the hive (only the
> exterior corners). This allows the hive to breathe, moisture to
> escape.

Tim wrote a good answer to this but let me add another dimension.  If you do 
not paint the inside but paint the outside then the outside will not absorb 
moisture and the inside will.  So the inside is being subjected to a higher 
moisture content than the outside.  This means the inside will swell and the 
outside not.  This is until such time as the whole piece of wood is in 
equilibrium.  This will take a while so you have the situation where the 
inside is swelling, the outside not so you have stresses being created in 
the wood which will allow for warping.

If you do not paint any side, then the outside is also being subjected to 
drying stresses from the sun and the warping will be more excessive.  This 
warping normally takes the form of cupping, since the outside is drier than 
the inside and will be very pronounced in back cut boards.  If it is quarter 
cut then there will not be a lot of cupping.  However most wider boards, 
such as bee boxes, are back cut to allow for maximum width when sawing.

Knew all those years in Forestry dealing with timber would one day come in 
handy.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA
Had a look at www.apimondia2007.com 

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