I, like many others, have been cursed with hive beetles, and on reading many publications it seems that these little monstrosities hide in crevices where the bees can't get to them. So I decided to take away some of their hiding places and at the same time redesign the hive frame making it far easier to make at home with just a table saw.
Remember the Dadant and Langstroth frames are both well over 100 years old, and were designed before modern adhesives, plastic foundation and the hive beetle, so maybe it's time for an update.
All cut from a 2 X 6.
Identical top and bottom bars. 1/2" thick, 1" wide and 16 13/16" long. The groove is 1/8" wide and 3/16" deep.
Sidebars. 1" wide, 3/8" thick and 6 3/16" long
Quality glue, 1" staples, trued and left long enough for the glue to set.
Galvanized flashing cut to 19" long. Marked 2 1/2" from the edge with a felt pen then cut to the wide side of the line giving enough extra metal for bend radii.
Folding bar has a 3/8" edge and was used to form a safe edge.
Impromptu anvil, and the edge was flattened.
Repeated the other side.
Folding bar used again to give a 3/8" lip on both sides.
The steel clamped on the wood frame and adjusted to give an equal overhang.
Screwed in place. The screws are offset so they don't enter the groove underneath.
Pushpins give exactly 3/8" spacing.
Plastic foundation slipped in perfectly with just a little free play.
When it's in a super there's no room for the beetle to slip past. And as it's metal it won't expand and contract with humidity, so the end clearance can be kept at almost zero.
And if they try to hide under here there's plenty of room for the bees to get in and chase them out.
I'll let you know in the spring if the bees can work with these frames and if it makes any difference to the beetle population