| When the fit between two hive bodies deteriorates to the point where you can see through them, you should be thinking ‘repair-time’. Even though pests may not yet be able to move freely in and out of the hive, the opening will promote robbing and will certainly make it more difficult to control robbing if it gets started (Fig. 1). Carry several good hive bodies with you when you work an out yard. If you notice a damaged hive body or if you split off a piece of wood from one while working your bees, replace it with a sound one, and take the damaged equipment to your shop for repair. When you are scraping your frames over the winter, pull out damaged hive bodies and store them for repair. I accumulate damaged shells until I have 30-40 that I can work on at once, and then I spend a day restoring and painting them. I use two basic methods to repair damaged hive bodies – the wood insert and the metal patch. | | 1. Bad equipment means robbing. |
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| | The wood insert
When the frame-rest end of a hive body is damaged along a substantial part of its length, I cut it off and replace it with a hardwood insert sawn from a block of well-seasoned white oak. The repair part is 16-1/4” long by 3/8” thick by 1-3/4” high, although you may need to adjust those dimensions slightly to fit your equipment. Since the repair part is hardwood, you have to pre-drill 3/32” pilot holes in it before nailing it in place, otherwise, you will split the wood.
Begin the repair by removing all nails within 2” of the top of the shell on the damaged end. A nail puller helps if you have several shells to repair (Fig. 2). Next, remove the metal frame rest (Fig. 3) and pull out any remaining nails (Fig. 4). Scrape the frame rest clean, and double check for nails, unless you enjoy sharpening your saw blade. The shell is now ready for the table saw.
You will need to make two cuts in the shell to remove the damaged end and to accommodate the repair part. One cut removes the outer 3/8” of wood along the entire 16-1/4” width of the damaged end. This cut is set 1-3/4” deep. The second cut is made perpendicular to the face of the damaged end, 1-3/4” from the top and 3/8” deep. These two cuts remove a piece of wood from the shell the same size as the repair part. If you have a lot of shells to repair, make all of one cut first, then make the other cut. This way, you only have to set your saw twice. The dimensions of your equipment may vary somewhat from what I have given. So, be sure to set your saw so that you do not remove any of the actual frame rest area.
| | | | | 2. Pull out nails | 3. Then remove frame rest | 4. Remove any remaining nails |
| | | | 5. Cut out the damaged area and glue in the replacement parts. | 6. Nail it in but predrill the holes. | |
|  | 7. Paint replacement part
and you're done |
| Once the damaged end is removed, apply waterproof wood glue to the joining surfaces of the repair part and the shell (Fig. 5), then, press them together. Nail the repair part in place with 2, 7d galvanized nails on each end. Grip the repair part tightly against the shell to keep it aligned, then, drive in the nails (Fig. 6). Prime and paint over your repair work. The repair will last longer than the shell (Fig. 7).
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If the shell is damaged along a bottom rail, I use hardwood pieces cut ¾” wide by 1” deep. I cut them either 19-7/8” long (the length of the shell) or 16-1/4” long (the width of the shell). I pre-drill 3/32" pilot holes every few inches along the ¾” side, then, I countersink the holes to accommodate the nail head on a 7d galvanized nail.
Begin the repair by removing all nails within 1-1/2” of the bottom of both ends of the damaged side of the shell. Set your table saw to a depth of ¾”, then, remove 1” of wood from the bottom of the damaged side of the hive body. Apply waterproof glue to the joining surfaces of the repair part and the shell, press them together, then, nail the repair part in place. If a shell is heavily damaged, consider cutting it into a shallow, or patching together two good remnants from two damaged shells. To patch together the halves from two shells, apply wood glue to the joining surfaces, then, clamp the pieces together. Drive in several hive staples along the inside surfaces of the shell. Be sure to place the shell on a solid, flat surface when hammering the staples into the wood so that the joint stays aligned. Orient adjacent staples at opposing angles. Keep the pieces clamped together until the glue is set.
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