I am catching up on some old posts while working on the EIFS stucco on my house.  EIFS stucco uses EPS (expanded polystyrene) so I can comment on a couple of items below Beemax hives are made from EPS..

>First, they were damaged in shipment: the fingers protrude...

A well made product should not have protrusion.  On the other hand, EPS can be sanded with coarse sandpaper to create flush surfaces.

>>...and a few were broken off when they arrived...
Galvanised strip were supplied and not only did they 
have a bad "feel" due to sharp edges, but they did not fit and fell out...
Third, I had problems identifying the correct glue and the one I chose did
not work well.

For the EIFS walls, we are using expandable foam adhesive made by Hilti.  Available from Home Depot.  It's similar to the expandable Great Stuff foam they also sell.

>>The Swienty boxes are possibly a bit more dense and very strong. 

EPS comes in a few densities (1 lb/ft3, 1.5 lb/ft3 etc.).  The denser material is more expensive since more polystyrene is used.

>>I have had personal contact with beekeepers in the northern US and Northern
>Scandinavia (outside of the area of major Gulf Stream influence) and both
>claim no problems with winter condensation despite a complete lack of
>upper ventilation.

In looking at tree hole colonies, very few have top ventilation.  I think a non-condensing hive ceiling is key.   I've always used a newspaper bet. the inner cover and telescoping cover to achieve this.  Colonies have always overwintered well whether top ventilation was provided or not.  I am in US zone 7.  I'd think top ventilation is good to have if deep snow tends to block the lower entrance.  In tree colonies facing typically south, the entrance hole rarely stays blocked by snow for long.

Waldemar

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