Glue in tightest of joints?

[Beenign]

Hello All,

I recently bought my new hive bodies and I've found the joints to be extremely tight...not to the point of splitting, but at the point of repeated mallet knocks to get the joints to fit. It's still cold here in VT, my workshop is unheated, and Titebond II requires 55 deg temps, so I've been skipping the glue figuring on two facts; 1. The joints are tight and the glue will likely just get pushed out by the tight finger joints and 2. The efficacy of the glue will be reduced in the 20 deg temps right now. I'd love to wait for warmer temps but I don't see any more free time coming in the warm months. Anyone skip the glue on their hive bodies and have any positive or negative input.

Thanks everyone, hope the late winter treats everyone's bees well.
Will

[fish_stix]

LOL. Tens of billions of bees live in non-glued hive boxes. I've personally stapled together thousands with nary a drop of glue. Do they last as long? Can't say as they usually rot out from moisture long before the fasteners fail. Now we do glue our rabbeted boxes , that's just common sense.

[HarryVanderpool]

Toss the Titebond 2 which is weatherproof and get some Titebond 3 which is waterproof.
Also usable down to 45F.
As soon as they are nailed take them inside and stack them up to dry in the house over night. I do this by the hundreds every year.
Consider making a box clamp:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...oxClamp003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...oxClamp002.jpg

Using the clamp, you first slop glue in all of the box joints, tap the box together with a mallet, and then place the box in the clamp. When you tighten the clamp, SQUISH!! the box is perfectly squared, and the joints tighter than tight.
You then nail the top, middle two joints, unclamp and flip over, reclamp nail the top inside two, then unclamp, wipe off any excess glue, and radially nail the box on the bench.
This goes really fast and you nail hands free, not worrying about squareness,just driving nails.

If you do not glue, your boxes will develop cracks in the paint all along the box joints no matter how many coats of paint. These cracks soak water and turn the wood pethy.
My boxes assembled as above NEVER develop cracks in the paint.

Speaking of paint, I buy the very best primer and paint I can find. I am very happy with Behr 50-50 white. Just ask for Behr 50-50 white and they know what you are looking for.

[HarryVanderpool]

And yes the glue in the picture is Titebond II.
That was before I knew better.

[BeeCurious]

Beenign,

I would run a bead of glue along the inside corners and seal the exposed end grain with glue as well. If the joints are impermeable to moisture they will stay painted, and stay together...

[kbfarms]

We also run glue along the exposed end grain. However, I'm a fan of Gorilla glue. I know it's expensive, but I really like the way it expands to fill in cracks. I also use it when boxes split, just squirt it in and clamp. I reuse boxes until the very end of life. When the deeps are too poor to repair, we cut them down to mediums and use again.