diff --git a/access_node/__main__.py b/access_node/__main__.py
index 5516d73d899651b5d4f4f860d4baef68758ab8ce..a7919408701e8fe108583dcd287bfe87d9739d0a 100644
--- a/access_node/__main__.py
+++ b/access_node/__main__.py
@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@ import psycopg2
 
 def ConnectToDatabase(postgres_username, postgres_password):
     database_host = 'database'
-    with open('database_host.txt') as database_host_file:
-        database_host = database_host_file.readline().rstrip('\n')
+    try:
+        with open('database_host.txt') as database_host_file:
+            database_host = database_host_file.readline().rstrip('\n')
+    except:
+        pass
     return psycopg2.connect(database="postgres", user="postgres",
                        password="postgres", host=database_host, port="5432")
 
diff --git a/access_node/controllers/arbor_controller.py b/access_node/controllers/arbor_controller.py
index 9a6ff237e64a2c1d0d319e3c9dc59d65f035909f..5ce7f7706e8d94b57be933da8153fd8dea1ec1bd 100644
--- a/access_node/controllers/arbor_controller.py
+++ b/access_node/controllers/arbor_controller.py
@@ -16,8 +16,11 @@ import numpy as np
 
 def connect_to_database():
     database_host = 'database'
-    with open('database_host.txt') as database_host_file:
-        database_host = database_host_file.readline().rstrip('\n')
+    try:
+        with open('database_host.txt') as database_host_file:
+            database_host = database_host_file.readline().rstrip('\n')
+    except:
+        pass
     return psycopg2.connect(database="postgres", user="postgres",
                        password="postgres", host=database_host, port="5432")
 
diff --git a/access_node/controllers/nest_controller.py b/access_node/controllers/nest_controller.py
index c2bdab3393139bd740dd7512c3add638dbf25874..14a3d52533343e98dc2714d013b528682c115f85 100644
--- a/access_node/controllers/nest_controller.py
+++ b/access_node/controllers/nest_controller.py
@@ -16,8 +16,11 @@ import numpy as np
 
 def connect_to_database():
     database_host = 'database'
-    with open('database_host.txt') as database_host_file:
-        database_host = database_host_file.readline().rstrip('\n')
+    try:
+        with open('database_host.txt') as database_host_file:
+            database_host = database_host_file.readline().rstrip('\n')
+    except:
+        pass
     return psycopg2.connect(database="postgres", user="postgres",
                        password="postgres", host=database_host, port="5432")