Metal corner protector 230x60

01 · SIZED FOR THE LANGSTROTH BOX

Three lengths; this is the middle one

The 230 mm is meant for the edge of a Langstroth brood box or super box. Our other two sizes cover the extremes: the 400 mm dresses a Layens top to bottom and the 150 mm is the short reinforcement for supers. The rule is the same for all three — measure the edge before ordering and take the one that does not overhang, because a corner piece longer than the box snags when stacking. And if your kit is Dadant, whose box is taller, this one will fall a little short: it will protect the upper part, which is where knocks tend to land.

02 · DAMP UNDER THE METAL

A fair question that deserves an answer

It is a reasonable worry and deserves a straight answer: any piece screwed onto wood creates a joint, and a joint can hold water if you let it close over damp wood or over propolis and sawdust. Keeping that from becoming a problem is simple: fit onto dry, clean wood, do not trap debris underneath, and take a look at the start of the season — if a corner piece has lifted on one side, that is where things gather. Properly seated, the metal does the opposite: it caps the edge, which is the face through which bare wood drinks the most water.

03 · HOW IT GOES ON

A minute of adjustment before tightening

You offer it up to the edge and fix it with wood screws. It pays to check that it seats straight before tightening: a corner piece forced into place leaves the edge lifted and gets in the way every time you handle the box. On thin or dried-out board, drill a pilot hole; a screw driven in hard splits the edge exactly where you meant to reinforce it. And handle them carefully — this is cut sheet metal and the edge is sharp, so gloves are a good idea.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is sold as single pieces, not as a set: each box has four corners, so an apiary of twenty boxes comes to eighty pieces. Each weighs 70 g. If you are dressing kit of several formats, go box by box before ordering: you will usually end up needing two different lengths, and it is better to order them together than to find out halfway through the job.