Help with gaps in polystyrene hive

[jevcar]

Hi all, this is my first season as a beekeeper, and my first post on the forum.

Quick backstory is that a neighbor had to leave the country, and she offered one of her hives to me. It was a split she made in the spring, and it’s really done well so far and expanded quickly.

I transported it home about 2 weeks ago, but quickly noticed there are a couple small slots on the front face of the deep body brood chamber. At first I thought these were by design, because the bees have been using these slots as entrances, moreso than the actual entrance at the base of the hive.

But it looks like these slots are just where the dovetail joints of the polystyrene walls of the box aren’t fully engaged. It doesn’t seem to be an issue now, but with winter coming I’m worried these slots will let in too much cold air.

So my question: Is it acceptable to get a whole new deep hive body, and transfer all of the deep frames into the new correctly assembled body, and is it acceptable to do so at this time of year (mid August)? The existing box with gaps is so propolized that there’s no way I can push the joints snugly together. If transferring frames to a new box is a bad idea (moving all the top boxes over to the new box as well, just to be clear I’m not talking about splitting it somehow) then what’s the best way to seal these openings for the winter?

Pictures attached of what I’m talking about, with openings circled in red on zoomed in pic.

Thanks!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is it acceptable to get a whole new deep hive body, and transfer all of the deep frames into the new correctly assembled body, and is it acceptable to do so at this time of year (mid August)?

Short answer - yes, crack on with it. Contrary to what some on here seem to believe August is not mid autumn so you can do whatever needs to be done.
Move them to a new box then disassemble the poly box, clean it up then slot it all back together snugly.

 

[Ian123]

I think that’s the old swienty/denrosa boxes. They just look like they’ve not been put together properly. If not glued they should wiggly apart but go gently. For the rest as jenks said.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What about the top box?
are those frames I can see?

 

[Markthebuilder]

Yes you can move bees into a new box at this time of year. The box however will need to suit your existing frames particularly those in the bottom box
Do you know what size they are if National you could move to a 14x12
Looking at your set up you appear to have 3 different make / style of box, that don’t really fit each other and I’m not sure about the floor.

If you are keen you might want to consider getting a complete new hive

The bottom box might have had its joints opens up so it becam a bit bigger and matched the size of the middle box. If this is the case you could fill holes with 2 pack wood filler or car body filler ( this isn’t a time to worry about bee space)
The top box however doesn’t fit and needs some pieces of wood firing around the outside at the bottom so there is no gap down into the box underneath ( to big better than too small)

If you don’t know then ideally you need someone to physically look at your set up to advise what is best to keep and what to replace

 

[Poly Hive]

All good advice above but I suspect that the bees will have already filled any gaps with propolis. They dinna like drafts.

PH

 

[Ian123]

All good advice above but I suspect that the bees will have already filled any gaps with propolis. They dinna like drafts.

PH

Is it a Lang box on poly National

 

[Poly Hive]

I think looking again that it's a timber lang on top of a poly lang. The bees seem to have nibbled some material away. Either just take off the top box (making sure the queen ain't up there) and put a proper crownboard on the upper poly box or cut a sheet of ply to fit the poly and that will close the gap. Mind and cut a nice big hole for the bees to get up through.

Nothing is insurmountable.

PH

 

[Finman]

The joints of lowest box has loosened. When you frames off from the
Get a new box, paint it and move frames to it.

Then take apart elements. Clean the joints from propolis. Put poly urethane clue into joints. Spray first water first onto surfaces. Water hardens the glue in 15 minutes.
Before gluing the parts, try that parts fit well together.

polyurethane glue makes a bit foam and fills all holes. No other glue attach to the polystyrene. ( + note the filling fome)

When all is ready, paint the box outside, that repairings seem tidy. The glue turns bad looking color like senap.

Xxx the uppermost box has different dimensions and it makes a continuous nuisance. It is only one box and it does not cost much to change it.

 

[Finman]

The dimension

The width of the polybox wall is 40 mm.
The wall of wooden box is 20 mm. Inner size may be the same. That is why boxes does not fit together even if the frame is the same.

There are too measures which makes trouble.
New style boxes have bee space both above the frames, and under the frames

in old style the space was onnly above the frames.

You must ask what style of boxes you need.

You may do

 

[Finman]

The bottom box might have had its joints opens up so it becam a bit bigger and matched the size of the middle box. If this is the case you could fill holes with 2 pack wood filler or car body filler ( this isn’t a time to worry about bee space

You are right. It seems that the beekeeper have loosened the slots that he gets same outer size

BUT it makes bigger problem when inside measures do not fit, and the frame makes a bee crusher what you cannot see. There is no bee space under the frame, and in worst case the queen may leave between the wall and the frame.... So little difference! And what a waste of material.

So, there are many possibilities to get bee crushing places inside the box, if you just pile different type of boxes.

Like in the photo, all 3 boxes have different dimensions inside and outside. What it means is bee crushing.

Horizontal and vertical bee spaces. How I know... I have met those...

 

[oliver90owner]

If glued together with an expanding glue, it would be best to hold it square and tight while the glue goes off.

A couple of light ratchet straps or woodworker’s clamps would suffice.

 

[pargyle]

Short answer - yes, crack on with it. Contrary to what some on here seem to believe August is not mid autumn so you can do whatever needs to be done.
Move them to a new box then disassemble the poly box, clean it up then slot it all back together snugly.

Too right ... down here on some days it's still midsummer... bit drizzly today but very warm ... bees flying in the drizzle. I've seen more stuff coming out about getting bees ready for winter than you can shake a stick at ... I'm sure its panicking some and they will be slapping on slabs of fondant before long... they are not going to be swarming (unless they are running out of laying space! ) so on fine days it's a good time to tidy things up before we have to think about winter ... so I'd agree ... get on and sort that box out... no problem .

 

[Martimart]

You could always put the frames in a cedar hive box that will last 20 / 30 years and not be left in landfill for 300 years like your poly hive. Most people are stopping the use of plastics, however most beekeepers are switching from wood to plastic.... thanks to some clever marketing.

 

[Ian123]

You could always put the frames in a cedar hive box that will last 20 / 30 years and not be left in landfill for 300 years like your poly hive. Most people are stopping the use of plastics, however most beekeepers are switching from wood to plastic.... thanks to some clever marketing.

So what’s the clever marketing?here’s some poly boxes that are not far off 20 years old.

 

[Finman]

You could always put the frames in a cedar hive box that will last 20 / 30 years and not be left in landfill for 300 years like your poly hive. Most people are stopping the use of plastics, however most beekeepers are switching from wood to plastic.... thanks to some clever marketing.

Martimast. You are inventing those fact from your own head. Like mr Trump used to say: fake news.

Polyhives' popularity has nothing to do with marketing. They are just good and cheap, warm and light.

In Finland polyboxes, like all plastic, do not go into landfills. They are separated and used as fuel in power stations. Plastic chips are mixes to less strong fuel.

My oldest polyboxes are 43 years old. Oldest pineboxes are 55 years old. No one use western cedar in beehives in Finland.

 

[Markthebuilder]

“My oldest polyboxes are 43 years old. Oldest pineboxes are 55 years old. No one use western cedar in beehives in Finland.”

Seams like western red cedar has been subject to clever marketing then.

or is it that someone wrote extolling the benefits of WCR 60 + years ago and most writers have regurgitated it since?