Hello All,

I always read letters to the editor in newspapers, magazines or anywhere
else.  At best they are informative, at worst they infuriate, but mostly
they are just enjoyable to read.  It keeps you in touch with other
average individuals or at least those that like to write letters.  Lists
like BeeL prove there are many more folks out there that probably would
agree.  In this month's issue of Bee Culture there is a letter to the
editors where someone, new to beekeeping, mentions his disdain for all
the time it takes to nail up a frame or box.  I am just the opposite, I
find banging nails with a hammer quite relaxing.  I will agree though it
does take time which is why I invested in a compressor and a pneumatic
stapler. (The compressor continues to be one of the best tools I ever
purchased.  I can't believe how often I use it for a wide range of jobs.
I could probably write a complete post on that alone.)  Later in the
letter the writer seems to criticize the use of plastic
frames/foundation.  When I first started keeping bees and assembling
frames I found I hated wiring them.  My second year I switched to
Duragilt.  I had great luck with that and, unlike others have reported,
have had very few problems with the plastic losing its coating.  Most of
those frames are still in use.  The time savings alone was worth it.  I
now primarily use plastic foundation and sometimes plastic frames.  I
have good results and it saves time.

The gentlemen in the letter mentions only using glue to assemble frames,
stating that modern glues like Titebond II are more than enough to hold
frames together.  IMHO he may get away with this on frames only used in
honey supers, but I doubt he will be happy in a few years when trying to
pry well propolized frames in a brood chamber.  The gentlemen mentions
he is an engineer (but not a chemist) and touts the bonding strength of
modern glues.  I disagree.  Titebond II is not waterproof.  That's why
they just introduced Titebond III.  The inside of a bee colony is a high
humidity area and over time most wood glues will breakdown.  If you ever
refurbish an old frame you usually notice that when the comb is removed
the joints are loose and have to be renailed.  If the original nails
were not there, the frame would fall apart.

Wood glue 101:  Not that long ago there were basically two glues on the
market.  White glue for crafts and yellow glue for wood.  Being a good
woodworker I would never have considered switching them.  White for
crafts yellow for wood, it's the law. Right?  In reality they are very
close with just some yellow coloring added to make the wood glue.  These
polyvinyl acetate (PVA) type glues were and still are great.  When used
on porous materials such a wood and correctly applied they form a bond
that is stronger than the wood itself.  The only problem is moisture.
Researchers then came up with the next generation of glues (Titebond II
et al) that were moisture resistant, not waterproof.  They will bond
much better in areas that occasionally get wet but would also break down
when constantly exposed to moisture.  I think the new Titebond III  will
hold up much better.  I only hope that the letter writer to BC discovers
this product sooner rather than later.  There are other types of glues
that are completely waterproof. These are polyurethane types that use
moisture to activate the bond.  Their strength is incredible, however I
think they have two drawbacks, at least for use in beekeeping.  They are
more expensive with a shorter shelf life, and some if not all contain
formaldehyde, a probable human carcinogen.  (We are producing a food
product after all).

I have some pretty good information on this subject.  For years I have
been using a glue that has had one of the highest moisture resistance
ratings (ANSI-HPVA [HP-1-1994] Type 2) available.  It is not sold on the
consumer market, but rather to industry, primarily the furniture
manufacturers.  One application it has been used for is to manufacturer
butcher blocks/cutting boards (high moisture/food contact).  Although I
have what I consider a pretty good glue, I still nail everything and if
I had to choose between nails and glue, I would go with the nails.

Think Spring!

   Ron

Ron Bogansky
Kutztown, (eastern) PA, USA

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