Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Foundationless Frame  (Read 2746 times)

Offline MustbeeNuts

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 552
  • Gender: Male
    • Great White Betta
Foundationless Frame
« on: August 10, 2008, 04:02:40 pm »
I put one frame in without foundation, funny it was the first frame they went to. wonder if that tells me something.??
Anyway it started from the bottom up, i was so taken by this I decided to post a picture, doh!! but the next day bees had finished it to the top, thought it odd that they went bottom up, not top down.  Oh well you'll hve to take my word for it. Darn bees just to fast for an old slow guy. LOL
Each new day brings decisions,  these are  new branches on the tree of life.

Offline randydrivesabus

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2008, 05:05:46 pm »
looks like a great frame.

Offline Jim134

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3051
  • Gender: Male
    • Franklin County Beekeepers Association
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2008, 06:59:29 pm »
See you got the smoke out LOL     :fishhit:



      BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
                 
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline MustbeeNuts

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 552
  • Gender: Male
    • Great White Betta
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2008, 07:45:56 pm »
 OH Ya ,,  :-D
Each new day brings decisions,  these are  new branches on the tree of life.

Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2008, 02:16:23 am »
I had read here before that the bees sometimes start from the bottom up. In my case, they always start from the top down.

Funny bees

Offline Flygirl

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 101
  • Gender: Female
  • ~ It's never to late to have a happy childhood ~
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2008, 05:40:20 am »
Isn't it amazing & wonderful!???  I just looked at a few frames in a similar condition in a super & I'm so grateful for these little beings!

YEAH!  GO FLYGIRLS!!!....FG 
(& you too MBN's.. :)  )
~ It's never too late to have a happy childhood ~

Offline Ross

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 512
    • http://www.myoldtools.com
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2008, 10:34:07 am »
Giving them a top guide will help them start at the top instead of the bottom.
www.myoldtools.com
Those who don't read good books have no advantage over those who can't---Mark Twain

Offline Pond Creek Farm

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 566
  • Gender: Male
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2008, 01:25:20 pm »
I used wax starter strips, and the bees pulled them straight down throughout the super.  I think when I convert the brood boxes next spring, however, I will put a frame or two of pf-125 in there as a ladder per Mr. Bush's recommendations.
Brian

Offline Moonshae

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 988
  • Gender: Male
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2008, 09:53:45 pm »
I found that when they started at the bottom with a flow, they started storing honey before it was attached to the top. When it got hot, the weight of the honey caused the comb to flop over across 2 or 3 other frames. What a mess! Now I make sure I move at least one drawn frame up to the top so they work top down.
"The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer." - Egyptian Proverb, 2200 BC

Offline dhood

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 84
  • Gender: Male
    • WD Hood Apiaries
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2008, 11:48:31 pm »
That is interesting how they started from the bottom, I recently tried foundationless and they all started from the top and built a natural comb shape but none of them have connected them to the bottom. They seem to be finished as they filled them with capped brood and went to another frame. Kind of off the topic, but I also have noticed that with using every other frame drawn out they will draw out a small portion of the foundationless and cap mostly drone brood in this area. Seems that they prefer to put drone brood and supercedure cells in a frame that they have drawn out. Just curious, has anyone else that has went foundationless noticed this pattern?
dhood,

Offline BenC

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 158
  • Gender: Male
Re: Foundationless Frame
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2008, 01:10:28 am »
All I notice is that beesuit, man that thing is clean and bright!


 
I also have noticed that with using every other frame drawn out they will draw out a small portion of the foundationless and cap mostly drone brood in this area. Seems that they prefer to put drone brood and supercedure cells in a frame that they have drawn out.

I have noticed that when I try it with every other frame drawn (odds drawn, evens not would be another way to say it?), the foundationless frames placed between the drawn frames will be predominantly drone size.  If just one or a few drawn frames are in the box and multiple foundationless frames are placed adjacent to each other the bees will do a much better job of drawing out worker sized comb.