I started building my own boxes, but when I put one together at the corners there is about an 1/8" of an inch different. Will this hurt anything or will the bees fill it up? Thanks.
They should fill it up
Ideally the boxes should be the same for different reasons. Bee space is important to maintain in the hive. Assuming you are running 10 frame boxes the 1/8" difference spread over the width of the box will not hardly be noticeable. The other issue is when the boxes do not set even on all sides the weather plays a toll on the parts exposed most of the time untreated unless they have been dipped. The bees don't much care they will fill it if more space with comb or fill it with glue if it is less.
This goes back to the old carpenter lesson;
Measure twice and cut once.
Measure once and cut twice !
It takes time to get your saw squared, boards leveled before glueing and nailing.
a carpenters plane can correct quite a few building mistakes.
No big deal about the gap except, I believe you get that much " bee glue " propolis in a 1/8 in gap between boxs and you'll take more care in building boxs next time.
Good Luck
Bee-Bop
Bee-Bop
This is my first time doing half-blind joints. I didn't get the sides even somehow,but I will be more careful next time. Thanks
If the 1/8" difference is between 1/4" and 3/8" then it will make no difference. If it's more or less, then it will make a little difference. In the end when things are crowded, they will fill a space larger then 3/8" with comb. In the end when everything else is done and they're looking for a place to put that excess propolis, they will stuff it in that space that is less than 1/4"...
Naw...don't sweat the small stuff :-D
The bees will handle most all of the mistakes in the equipment you make. If my mistakes were only .125 inches, I'd be happy with it!!
Like the others said, maybe a little propolis, maybe some extra comb, a pain but not insurmountable.
And if the 1/8 is at the top or bottom of the box, then it is just known as a hive tool space!!
Rick
Imagine what the inside of a tree looks like, or the inside of a wall or in a roof. The bees will manage just fine. What matters is if you like what they do with their space.