For those that don't keep bees, typical hives are made of cedar and consist of 'lifts' piled on top of one another (3 to 6 in number, 6 or 8" deep approx.) to hold the combs, with obviously a lid on top. Each lift is a four sided open box, doved tailed corners.
In order to manage the bees, the hive has to be dismantled lift by lift. As is possibly not unreasonable, the bees fill any gaps between the lifts with a filler - tree resin - so a tool (correctly a hive tool, but an old chisel is typical!) is used at the corner junction between lifts to break the adhesion.
The problem is that with old hives (I've had these for 45 years and they came from an old guy then), the corners get compressed and create a 3 to 4mm gap big enough for bees to get in and out.
I could rout the corners out, insert a fillet and plane it off, but has anyone got an less lengthy process they could suggest, bearing in mind that each lift has 4 top and 4 bottom corners, and I've got 25 of them.
Thanks
Rob
In order to manage the bees, the hive has to be dismantled lift by lift. As is possibly not unreasonable, the bees fill any gaps between the lifts with a filler - tree resin - so a tool (correctly a hive tool, but an old chisel is typical!) is used at the corner junction between lifts to break the adhesion.
The problem is that with old hives (I've had these for 45 years and they came from an old guy then), the corners get compressed and create a 3 to 4mm gap big enough for bees to get in and out.
I could rout the corners out, insert a fillet and plane it off, but has anyone got an less lengthy process they could suggest, bearing in mind that each lift has 4 top and 4 bottom corners, and I've got 25 of them.
Thanks
Rob
But I am sure that someone else will help.
