Years ago, when I started building my own woodenware, I made a very unscientific survey. The question I asked was “What is the most common problem when working with colonies of bees?”A few of the most common answers were:1. Unable to find the queen2.Propolis sticking to everything 3.Hive bodies rotting out -usually at the corners4.Stings hurtI was unable to do anything about problems one, two and four but I thought I might be able to help with the hive body rotting problem. At least it was related to woodenware. After watching a couple of the more experienced beekeepers examine a hive, it became apparent that problem number two - propolis -was also related to problem number three - wood rot. Being unable to get the hive bodies separated, a hive tool was usually inserted at a corner and forced between the hive bodies. Sometimes this worked but many times it required more force and the wood on the corner was torn or chipped. Since the hive bodies were usually reassembled in the same order the propolis built up and it required additional effort each time the hive was opened. Then I realized that the combination of damaging the corner wood with a hive tool and the subsequent rainwater remaining in the corner accelerated the rotting of the wood.
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