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 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::