How long do you use old "bendy" supers?

[arthur]

I have some old supers where the joints are mobile. Meaning that it is no longer a rigid box. More like an accordion. Still using them and haven't noted any functional problems. They have the vertical support to not collapse.

At what point do you throw out supers that may be beginning to fail?

[Michael Bush]

You can buy the siding corners (or make something similar out of sheet metal) and reinforce the corners by nailing the tin into both sides of the box at the corner.

[mgolden]

Can you label the corners, not knock them apart, remove the ?nails, and then glue and use screws. May have to drill the holes to prevent splitting. Or use sheet metal screws that have the flat underside of the heads.

[arthur]

these are my father's old crappy supers that don't even have box joints. And the wood is super old and moving towards rotten. I'm thinking that Michael's suggestion might be the best in that case.

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Arthur. Do it. Burn them. If they fail on a 90 degree day when the frames are full of honey and it all comes collapsing around you it won't be pretty.

[sqkcrk]

At what point do you throw out supers that may be beginning to fail?

When the box spreads so much at frames are not supported by one end or the other. Or if there are too many holes from rotting wood.

If your boxes arwe loose but otherwise stable, you could nail the joints again w/ longer nails. I did that today myself w/ a mediumdepth super which was somewhat loose.

[Solomon Parker]

Pull a couple nails and put in some screws. If you can't pull it off with screws, probably better grab some hotdogs and marshmallows.

[odfrank]

Until the sides fall apart, the frames spill down onto the ground and the bees crawl up my pants and sting me where the sun doesn't shine. I actually made 22 new brood boxes this year.

[Michael Palmer]

these are my father's old crappy supers that don't even have box joints.

Sometimes it's difficult to get rid of old boxes. My help sees them as old boxes. I see them as the equipment from the old beekeepers, all dead now, who sold me their bees. They're old boxes but old friends, too.

[max2]

Sometimes it's difficult to get rid of old boxes. My help sees them as old boxes. I see them as the equipment from the old beekeepers, all dead now, who sold me their bees. They're old boxes but old friends, too.

I understand only to well. I turn them into laying boxes for chickens!

[sfisher]

Sell them to City Slickers as yard art.

[BayHighlandBees]

sounds like the beekeeping version of the Man rule: "as long as it still has an elastic band its still wearable underwear"!

Until the sides fall apart, the frames spill down onto the ground and the bees crawl up my pants and sting me where the sun doesn't shine. I actually made 22 new brood boxes this year.