# Sealing gaps



## karol wojtyla (Dec 19, 2017)

I just finished building two Top Bar Hives (modified WAM design) and found a few small (1-2 mm) gaps where the sides meet the bottom. (I can see though them.)
I don't think the bees will like this. I don't want my first packages to abscond! Should I use sealant? If so, what kind? And should I seal from the outside or inside?


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

JP, if the bees don't like them, they will fill them with propolis.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

bees will have no problem filling them in the first season. You can use melted beeswax on them if they really bother you. I've also used Durham Rock Hard Water Putty to fill in problem areas of a topbar hive and the bees didn't mind that at all. They propolise it all anyhow.


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## karol wojtyla (Dec 19, 2017)

Thanks for the reassurance.


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## AvatarDad (Mar 31, 2016)

I agree with the others who say the bees will fill them in, but most "normal" woodworking glues and finishes cure totally inert if you are anxious or feel a need to plug them up. (I'm not talking about silicone caulk or stuff like that... just normal plain glue and finishes like shellac).

So, if you want to dribble some Elmer's or some Tite-bond into the cracks, when that stuff dries it will be non-toxic. There's also the old woodworking trick of creating a wedge or a shim, coat it with glue, cram it in the crack, and then snap it off, leaving the glue-coated filler in the crack. A really thick (2 or 3 pound cut) of shellac will dry fast, and is so non-toxic it is the finish of choice for kids' toys (and has been used to make vitamin pills shiny). Shellac might be the closest thing a woodworker has to propolis.

I have found that ants find every little hole the bees or I miss, and use them to invade the hives, so I tend to seal them up before I use them. That's probably less of a problem in the frozen north.

Mike


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

Sawdust mixed with something sticky like glue or shellac will work. The finer the sawdust the better.
Bill


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## Corto (May 29, 2017)

I was all worried about little gaps between bars and around the perimeter of the follower board. Hah. They filled it all in.


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

In gaps located on the hive itself, fill the holes with wood glue such as Titebond II. It is safe for the bees and does a great job of filling the gaps.


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## Kathleen Bourn (Oct 31, 2014)

I had a corner gap that I missed when building my first TTB. The bees decided that they liked it just as much as the regular entrance. They never filled it and neither did I.


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