Supers started to bow :(.

[Insy]

On inspection other day i noticed nearly every super brand new last year from seconds sales, has started to bow on the face where hand grips are .

Some are so bad now that bees can just squeeze in and out through them, so now i have to bodge them up with strips of plywood which makes inspections a pain when reassembling.

Now to decide whether to purchase a polystyrene national hive to replace it and use the wooden hive for another bait box .

Anyone have this problem before?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

try a few screws through from the inside to pull the rails back - they are the cedar ones are they?

 

[Insy]

Yes there cedar ones, nice tip that one as long as the bees don't get to angry from screwing and unscrewing drills on inspections lol.

Will give that a try cant do no more harm than the gaps currently.

 

[flemage]

I noticed the same thing (but on one of the bottom bars) on one of my boxes. Been out over winter but was new the winter before that, Cedar Thor*es treated with cuprin*ol.

 

[itma]

Not 100% clear exactly what is warping. A photo would clarify.

My first impression is that you might have had several nails left over when you stopped assembling them.

One advantage of P's poly is that there is effectively zero assembly to "express individuality" with.
And they don't warp.
And you can inter-operate with wooden units - you just can't put a wooden roof directly on a poly box (so top the stack with a wooden box if using a wooden roof)

 

[Insy]

Yes its the bottom bars for me also on 2 supers possibly 3 supers, i showed some tape over t last time i was there but that was only a 1 day fix lol.

Need to find a more permanent one wouldn't mind but there not even 1 year old lol.

My brood boxes are like 10 years old and only problem with them is corners a little dented/chipped .

 

[Swarm]

I stopped buying T 2nds, I had a few warped supers. Not enough to let bees out but bee space was compromised and just a pain.
Agree with itma about P poly.

 

[Insy]

Well this will be my only National hive and im converting to langstroths, so i just want something i can buy and never really have to replace.

Its to much having to convert national brood + 3 national supers to langstroth so ill leave it as a national and every split and swarm i do will be on langs.

I might either get a ****** poly national or a beehivesupplies poly national.

I did a split the other day into a lang poly nuc and the next day it was the busiest hive/nuc out of the 3 so i'm very impressed.

 

[psafloyd]

Yes there cedar ones, nice tip that one as long as the bees don't get to angry from screwing and unscrewing drills on inspections lol.

Will give that a try cant do no more harm than the gaps currently.

Can you upload a pic so we can see what has happened?

 

[MuswellMetro]

On inspection other day i noticed nearly every super brand new last year from seconds sales, has started to bow on the face where hand grips are .

Some are so bad now that bees can just squeeze in and out through them, so now i have to bodge them up with strips of plywood which makes inspections a pain when reassembling.

Now to decide whether to purchase a polystyrene national hive to replace it and use the wooden hive for another bait box .

Anyone have this problem before?

well ,the answer is to make them up according to maisy mores download not the thorn es way

on the maisy more web site under catalogues in a pdf download that shows internal nails that stops the bowing

i also dont nail through the face of the tenon joint but down through the tenon from the top or bottom....well thats how i was told at school in the 60's so I just do it that way....no nails can be seen on the outside and the tenon dont spring apart in the wet

 

[itma]

...
on the maisy more web site under catalogues in a pdf download that shows internal nails that stops the bowing
...

Th0rne's instructions show 4 nails, from the inside, into each of the side bars, top and bottom.

With all those in place, I'd be very surprised if the bars could warp vertically.

 

[Insy]

I should be popping up to the apiary tommorow evening, ill snap you a picture then if the weather is okay that is.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Did you glue? I glue, nail and screw all my boxes and don't have any of these problems...

 

[Roola]

I should be popping up to the apiary tommorow evening, ill snap you a picture then if the weather is okay that is.

Weather looking pretty awful for next 2 days

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I shall now use an old technical term used by the traditional carpenters such as my father who taught me, so plese excuse me if you lesser people may not understand :

By the sounds of it this is a classic case of the wood

BANANAFYING​

 

[Insy]

Yes i wont be opening them Just like going up to check for activity when i'm free.

Nothing better than watching bees busy bringing in lots of pollen. That and the Larsen traps must be checked daily.