Splitting supers and warping lids

[omnimirage]

When I first started beekeeping, I needed supers, but was averse to the high price at the local beekeeping supply yards. I managed to find some moderately cheap wood, and built 30 supers.

It's been about eighteen months later, and a good proportion of supers are splitting apart, as show here:

http://imgur.com/a/cO6av

This is my first beehive. Every super needs to be replaced, including the lid. I'm concerned about the holes as there's a lot of heavy winter rain currently. I've established a practice of using duct tape to seal the hives, but it's not particularly effective. Another hive's super was so damaged at the bottom, that it fell apart when I tried to replace it. It seems after about a year, the lowest supers start to split. It seems that they're unable to sustain the weight of a multi-story hive. A local said that this sort of damage might be caused by these slight elevations the hives are on; causes an excessive amount of pressure on one side, but I'm unsure. Is it important to place beehives on flat elevations? Another particular concerned is that almost every lid I own is quite warped for some reason, and has gaps exposed because of so.

I've learned that the "woodsman's glue" from the local hardware store was not effective in holding together the wood for a sustained period of time. It was all shriveled up and not sticky. I used an excessive, sloppy amateur amount of glue for the most part as well. The nails that I used weren't long enough either. I've been advised to use screws instead, which I'm in the process of installing screws on all my supers, including the ones with bees in them. Screws are much more expensive than nails, though.

It's almost mid winter here, and I still haven't found a cheap source of wood; I'm left wondering what's the best way to proceed. I've been advised to build hives out of more or less freely available chip-board, simply "slap on a thick coat of paint". I feel as if this will create future, bothersome scenarios in the future, but may be suitable for the lid and/or top super(shallow supers?). I fortunately have acquired all the screws I need. I'm not going to buy that woodsman's glue again; not sure if I should look into another. I do wonder if that glue simply isn't meant to be so exposed to the elements.

Has anyone else had their supers split, and lids warp like this?

[rwlaw]

Unfortunately you put the boxes together using butt joints. A rabbet or some poeple call it ship lap joint has more end grain to make the glue much more efficient.
If a threaded fastener is out of your pocketbook, try finding some galvanized ardox (French for twist) nails or another fastener is a ring shank nail (they have ridges on the working part), select a length twice the thickness of the stock your going to fasten and pre drill if you have to (only the stock that your going to fasten) to prevent splitting. Make sure and clamp them together before you nail, once you put either nail in your not going to get them out easily.

[omnimirage]

I did use a rabbet joint, fortunately. Could a finger joint be more effective?

[Barbarian]

I would not use chipboard. It will absorb moisture, swell, become heavier and crumble.
Well made boxes will way outlast something on the cheap. I have some boxes that are more than 20 years old.

[apisbees]

We also have to keep in mind that Omni is from Australia where in some regions and due to high humidity supers if not exceptionally well protected both inside and out with a penetrating coating, the life of a super can be less than 5 years. He had started a thread last fall (his spring) on how to protect supers. Our these some of the supers that you were working on at the time?

[omnimirage]

If live in South Australia, where the humidity isn't bad.

Yup, these are the same group of hives.

[rwlaw]

Sorry omnimarage, from the pics it looked like it was a butt joint on the boxes.
Perhaps the boards had too much moisture in them at assembly time and when they dried out and they warped. You mentioned you used too short a nail, so maybe clamping them up and renail or screw them together will do the job. I wouldn't worry too much about reglueing as the end grain of the joints are already sealed from the previous glue, I suppose you could try a epoxy glue to try and bond the joint, but it'd be iffy on the results.
Here in the states, we have titebond III, when set it's waterproof and food grade safe, that's all I have used since it came out. Surely you can find something in Oz that's compatible for future jobs.

[Lburou]

Sorry to see your issues Omni.  I made the lids of a couple horizontal hives from free chip board, (called oriented strand board here). It has lasted one year and is swelling and heavy as predicted above...wouldn't recommend it.  This time, 'free' turned out to be expensive, plus I have to replace the lid now.

Seems to me that you might limp by the winter with a repair using some good yellow glue, screws, two band clamps like this and a syringe to squirt glue into the cracks and install the screws.  Put the glue into the cracks, clamp the crack shut, install screws and wait 24 hours.  Repair the next super.  Just a thought.

A level base is all a hive should need, a slope under the base is irrelevant.

You have a lot to lose in the progress of your bees, it will be a good business decision to pony up the funds to keep what the bees have accomplished for a good start in spring.

[Lburou]

I did use a rabbet joint, fortunately. Could a finger joint be more effective?

Academically there is a small difference, but in real life your joint is fine.  Just use waterproof glue and longer nails next time.  I use 7 penny (smallish) galvanized common nails and depend on the glue.  The nails provide the pressure until the glue cures.

Another solution:
An advantage of your joint is that you can take a super that you haven't installed yet, disassemble it, then reglue it.  When you have several supers you have disassembled and reglued, go out and replace the supers on  one hive.  Go from hive to hive and fix it that way.  Working inside will be better for you, and the wood.  HTH 

P.S.  That wood looks better than any chip board for use in a bee hive.

[omnimirage]

Useful information thanks. Yeah, it's dress pine; cheapest wood I could find!