> What puddle of goo? We are talking expanded polystyrene here, not solid
> stuff.

I have had my polystyrene hives for more than forty years now. They are
still all fit and useable. All I have done to them is to assemble and give a
one time dush of green water based paint mainly because I don't like white,
(the hives is to light spotted for unwelcome people).

I have broken one of the boxes because I dropped a box with 30kg of honey on
the ground, but this I easily repaired with expansion wood glue. That is all
except for the chicken ones they escaped the  chicken yard, getting to much
interest in a box a little damaged in the corner, and started to pick into
the open wound. So there is no need to get ried of the boxes because of age.

About sterilization of the box I use soda lye, and this also removes old wax
and anything of organic material.

What I like is the weight. a Langstroth box with wooden frames an foundation
is 4.5 kg and it still possible for me even I am close to sixty to move two
empty hives each of two boxes  at one time by taking one in each hand. I can
also alone lift and move one hive with bees and two brood boxes by hand.

About migration there is no problems making a stack of 3 or four pallets,
and by using screened button boards there is no need for more ventilation at
all. Even stationary in the winter. I have my bees in four Langstroth hives
on one square metre pallet. All with their entrance in different directions.

The Norway people even is no more producing wooden boxes for sale. They have
changed over to polystyrene hives.

Best regards
Jorn Johanesson

Multilingual software for beekeeping since 1997

hive note- queen breeding and handheld computer beekeeping software

new version of software on its way with a lot of new facilities and extreme
efficient filter and search facilities.

home page = HTTP://apimo.dk
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