Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Barnabus on July 21, 2005, 10:40:42 am

Title: "HELP" SMALL CELL MIX-UP
Post by: Barnabus on July 21, 2005, 10:40:42 am

Hi:
Boy do I have a mess! I have started to regress my hives with small cell foundation and medium brood boxes so I thought. Today I found out the shipper shipped me the wrong foundation and I didn't catch it untill I had it on every hive I have (8) in medium boxes with 11 frames in each box. Since the the foundation I recieved was 8 1/2" I cut it in half and put it in the frames. The bees have already drawn a lot of the frames about half way out.
I don't want to use them as supers for honey for fear the comb will come apart when extracted. I really want to start regressing the hives which everyone agrees is the way to go.

What would be your suggestion as to how I can correct this other than use as honey suppers.
 
I know I can throw it away but I hate to do that.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Barnabus

Title: "HELP" SMALL CELL MIX-UP
Post by: Phoenix on July 21, 2005, 11:32:59 am

The only option you have other than replacing the foundation with 4.9mm, is to remove the foundation entirely and insert these foundationless frames between two frames of nicely drawn comb.

Title: "HELP" SMALL CELL MIX-UP
Post by: Michael Bush on July 21, 2005, 11:39:20 am

You can put it in the supers and crush and strain it to harvest the honey and then put the frames back in the brood chamber next year.   Or you can wait until it's attached some on all four sides and mature enough to not be extremely soft and extract it.  I do it all the time.