Langstroth lid not fitting over flow brood boxes

I have a mixture of gear - flow hybrid super, a couple of 8 frame flow brood boxes and a few 8 frame langstroth boxes + lids. I’ve noticed the flow boxes are slightly larger than the langstroth gear so my lids don’t cover them. There’s a small amount of exposed wood on either side and I’m worried as soon as it rains it will ruin the boxes.
Has anyone else had this problem or found a lid that fits?

The outside dimensions of the lid should be 458 by 358mm, it is the same measurements for the boxes., for Langstroth and the Flow boxes should be the same. I have Flow Supers sitting perfectly on Langstroth brood boxes.
I agree with you about the concern of rain water soaking into the timber. All I can think of is to paint the edges of the boxes and lids.
Regards

Hiya Rachael, firstly all Flow wooden ware is Langstroth but not all Langstroth gear is the same. The thickness of the wood is generally the mismatch culprit.
I have migratory lids on Flow supers and they are close to the same size, not as bad as yours.
Once the bees have propolized the gaps inside it should be water resistant.
Looks like you have a budding artist in your family too, looks good. :smile:

we use non flow supers on our flow hives and they fit fine. It seems the lids you have are slightly shorter than normal- but as others have said not all langstroth boxes are identical in size- the thickness of the timber used contributes. Maybe you could attach a sheet of tin or similar onto your lids with an overhang to prevent rain touching the top edges of you boxes. It would have the advantage of offering a little extra shade in summer as well.

In fact: I will be making some simple roofs to put on hives I have that are exposed to strong summer sun- these will just sit on top of my migratory lids and be held in place with stones. Basically they will be a piece of tin with two lengths of wood.

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Thanks for your input. I bought 2 langstroth lids from two different suppliers and they are exactly the same size and fit my langstroth boxes perfectly. I measured my flow box and it is 360mm (so maybe 2mm error in my building…)
I’ll attach some plywood or tin to the top to give it a bit more protection.

I read your post at lunch time and checked measurements at my apiary this afternoon. Both of my Flow brood boxes and the Flow Supers and all my Langstroth’s steel tape measured at 358mm including 3 coats of paint at each end.
If there is an air gap the bees will propolis it filling in any void but it would pay to eliminate any bare timber at the top of the super with a coat of paint to stop water soaking into the timber.
Cheers Rachael