diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js
index a56791ded1..5d90e0ec0d 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Tile/Image.js
@@ -36,6 +36,13 @@ OpenLayers.Tile.Image = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Tile, {
      */ 
     frame: null, 
 
+    
+    /**
+     * Property: layerAlphaHack
+     * {Boolean} True if the png alpha hack needs to be applied on the layer's div.
+     */
+    layerAlphaHack: null,
+
     /** TBD 3.0 - reorder the parameters to the init function to remove 
      *             URL. the getUrl() function on the layer gets called on 
      *             each draw(), so no need to specify it here.
@@ -58,6 +65,8 @@ OpenLayers.Tile.Image = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Tile, {
         this.frame = document.createElement('div'); 
         this.frame.style.overflow = 'hidden'; 
         this.frame.style.position = 'absolute'; 
+
+        this.layerAlphaHack = this.layer.alpha && OpenLayers.Util.alphaHack();
     },
 
     /** 
@@ -115,7 +124,7 @@ OpenLayers.Tile.Image = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Tile, {
                                          null, this.position, this.size);   
 
         var imageSize = this.layer.getImageSize(); 
-        if (this.layer.alpha) {
+        if (this.layerAlphaHack) {
             OpenLayers.Util.modifyAlphaImageDiv(this.imgDiv,
                     null, null, imageSize, this.url);
         } else {
@@ -146,7 +155,7 @@ OpenLayers.Tile.Image = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Tile, {
         var offset = this.layer.imageOffset; 
         var size = this.layer.getImageSize(); 
      
-        if (this.layer.alpha) {
+        if (this.layerAlphaHack) {
             this.imgDiv = OpenLayers.Util.createAlphaImageDiv(null,
                                                            offset,
                                                            size,
@@ -230,7 +239,7 @@ OpenLayers.Tile.Image = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Tile, {
         // Sometimes our image will load after it has already been removed
         // from the map, in which case this check is not needed.  
         if (this.layer) {
-            var loaded = this.layer.alpha ? this.imgDiv.firstChild.src : this.imgDiv.src;
+            var loaded = this.layerAlphaHack ? this.imgDiv.firstChild.src : this.imgDiv.src;
             if (!OpenLayers.Util.isEquivalentUrl(loaded, this.url)) {
                 this.imgDiv.style.display = "none";
             }