I am new to beekeeping and have found answers to pretty much all my questions through searching the forums, YouTube, or Google. But there is one question I haven?t found the answer to. I want to caulk or seal the inside corners of my hive boxes but I can?t find what would be the safest product to use since this is inside the hive. I won?t be painting the boxes, it?s only those inside corners I?m concerned with. What do you think would be a safe product to use in this application?
Propolis, and let the bees do it for you.
I have yet to see bees seal up corners effectively enough to prevent hive beetles from hiding in them. Which is why I'm looking for a caulk or sealant that is safe to use.
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Was just playing around. Curious though why there are gaps in the corners?
Epoxy. Most caulk on the market will be eaten by the bees. They are soft.
Jim
Gaps from the crap hive body kits sold by Kelly Bees and another big name. I make everything myself now to help prevent it but don't want to toss out what I had before.
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I was thinking epoxy but due to the cost of it, if I can't find an alternative, I'll just scrap out the boxes. To build new only cost me $2 each.
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I make my British National brood boxes from flat-pack kits (seconds) from Mann-Lake. And by 'seconds', they really do mean seconds ... (to be pedantic, they call these 'Standard' Grade ... ) But - to be fair, these DO have a low price tag.
This design of box has upper and lower external rails, and where the inner planks make contact (or don't) with these rails, there are gaps. And there are also gaps in the corners. Gaps, gaps gaps ...
So - after gluing-up these boxes with 100% waterproof glue, I then run a bead of the same glue down into each gap. If the gap is really serious (> 1mm) - and some are - then I knife polyester automotive body-filler into those large gaps. I also run some glue over any knots, so that they're fixed for life.
Then I paint the boxes - inside and out. Why ? Because the outside is exposed to the weather, and the inside is often as wet as a shower room with water running down the walls, as the bees evaporate moisture for their living.
And - contrary to the common mantra - bees will NOT propolise the interior surfaces of a box during their first year of occupation, and so that is when the wood is most at risk from swelling and busting glued joints as a consequence.
BTW - I use a product called 'D4' glue, but you won't have it. Titebond or similar would do the same job. You could also use polyester automotive body filler (cheap enough if you buy in 5 litre drums), with extra polyester resin mixed in to make it runny.
Good question, by the way - I've not heard that one asked before now ...
LJ
I often use gorrila glue to fill cracks. Its eurothane based and expands quite well to seal off cracks. But I do not apply it untill assembly is finished and the titebond has had time to dry so as not to force the corners open.
Bondo or another decent auto body filler. It will become rock hard. I fill knot holes etc with it all the time, never have another problem with it, and the bees dont seem to bother it. It can be painted, or in the case of fixing a rabbit for the frame rest it can also be routered etc.. Have been using it since the 70's to fix up old hive boxes.
I have gorilla glue so I'll go ahead and use it on these boxes. In the future I'll be going with the bondo auto body filler since most of my issues will be knot holes and frame rest repairs. I appreciate all the great feedback.
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aluminium foil tape. the stuff used to seal house insulation works
I run a bead of Tite Bond or Gorilla glue down the inside corners to deny hiding spots to hive beetles. Who knows, Maybe it adds a small bit of extra strength to the corners too.