A polymer reinforced wooden hive can comprise a wooden hive box built with joints and having an exterior surface, and interior surface, and at least one rim for receiving a hive top or a hive bottom. A continuous polymeric coating applied to the exterior surface, and optionally the rim and/or the interior surface. The continuous polymeric coating can provide mechanical reinforcement to the joints, strengthening the wooden hive box. Hive tops and hive bottoms can also be included as part of the polymer reinforced wooden hives, and can likewise be coated with a continuous polymeric coating.