Foundationless latest inspection

[TimLa]

Can you say Burr Comb?  There, I knew you could!

Installed 4/15, checked today.  Some comb on all ten frames - the center two were about 80% drawn, the next pair about 70%, down to about 40% on the outermost frames.

The outer frames have capped and uncapped honey!
Sealed brood on middle four frames - very good news.

Last week, I forgot to space the frames when I was done, as a result a fair amount of burr comb on the outer frames, and all frames have comb that is closer to one side of the frame than the other... looking down, the comb surface is even with (or slightly beyond) the outer edge of the top bar.  This is with starter strips of plasticell, and probably due to my not respacing the frames correctly last weekend.

They are spaced correctly now, hopefully this will get them back on track.  At this rate, I'll probably be adding the next medium next weekend.  With a frame with foundation in it to get them oriented...

All in all, very good progress!

-T

[Brian D. Bray]

Good news.  Isn't it amazing how fast the bees can draw comb from nothing.  Much faster than with foundation.

I picked up 2 packages of bees today from Cedar Glen Bees.  1 Texas Hybrid (Thought I give them a try, I've done everything else) and 1 OWC, I loce these bees.  I decided to wwait until tomorrow because it is raining off and on today, but the real reason is my health.  I can only do so much and if I have to drive over 25 miles one way (this trip was closer to 40) my narcolepsy kicks and I get very sleepy.  Can't concentrate when I'm that sleepy.  So I came home to take a nap after lodging the bees in the garage until tomorrow.

Once the 2 new packages are installed I'll be up to 5 hives: 2 Russians (I split the hive 2 weeks ago), 2 OWC, and 1 Texas Hybrid.  If the Texasans don't work out I'll go back to concentrating on Russians, NWC, and OWC.

Installing bees is so much fun, a great way to spend 5 minutes.

[slaphead]

It sounds like your girls are off to a roaring start.  Are you still feeding them or do you have an ongoing nectar flow?

SH

[TimLa]

It sounds like your girls are off to a roaring start.  Are you still feeding them or do you have an ongoing nectar flow?

They're collecting pollen and nectar at a breakneck pace - they've only consumed about 1/2 gallon of syrup since I installed them on the 15th.  Fruit trees, dandelion, alder, broadleaf maple are all in full bloom, and the rest will start in a week or so.  Blackberry is probably 3 weeks out, if I recall, then scotch broom, etc.  I think they've got plenty of work to do over the next few months, so things are looking really good at this point!  I'm jazzed... and they are very, very docile.  We'll see if that remains once the new brood start emerging and the 'real' population takes hold.

-T

[Tom Cannon]

Do bees draw out comb faster if you just let them build comb from the frame top?
I'm using used plastic frames and some of them they won't even touch.

[wetland bee]

I have had problem with plastic combs. Reading here on this forum I seen where some spray them with sugar water. I had a 5 gal bucket of honey not good for sale (gritty from melting down cappings and old combs) Anyway I took a 2'' paint brush and painted each one with honey and put them back into the hives. Unbelievable difference the bees had  drawn  them out perfectly.learn something new here all the time.

[TimLa]

Do bees draw out comb faster if you just let them build comb from the frame top?
I'm using used plastic frames and some of them they won't even touch.

This is only my second year... so caveat utilitor.

My guesstimate is that they are building at least twice as fast on foundationless as they did last year on plasticell.  Ignoring all other variables (weather, food, flow), they are on a roll.  I expect to see hatched brood - a lot of them - next Saturday at the earliest.

Plasticell is wax-coated, but they finally took to it last year (after a week or so).  This year, they had started drawing their own foundation within 72 hours of install.  I will need to add another medium next weekend, depending on what we see...

The line between hobby and obsession is hard to draw....  I'm already thinking (since I have the hive bodies) of picking up a Nuc next month... and starting another hive.  Or setting up the second hive as a swarm trap.

Hmmm.

-T

[Shawn]

I have the plastic frames that came with teh starter kit. The original hive is going on its second year and there are still frames in both deeps that they will not touch. My second hive I started in March 2009 using a frame of their comb, wired tied it to a plastic frame with the center cut out. they finsihed filling the frame in less than a week and only built comb on each frame beside theirs. I did not spray with sugar water but Im going to pull the untouched ones and spray them tomorrow. The third hive I started last Tuesday and it is foundationless. They are making comb like mad.

[WOB419]

If the bees didn't touch the plastic foundation in a year I would take their hint and give them something they like, but trying the "paint it with honey" trick might be an interesting experiment.  Just take care not to let them get over crowded and swarm if they still don't like the plastic foundation.  I have always used wax foundation but am planning to put a couple of frames without foundation in the honey supers and then cut it for comb honey.

I Did take a frame with no foundation and put a small hive beetle trap on the bottom bar.  The trap has worked nicely and the bees also have drawn out comb throughout the rest of the frame.  They made nice big cells that the queen is using as drone comb.  I guess the girls will also make nice big cells in the honey super when I leave out the foundation.

[abeeco]

Brian -  I picked up a few of the texan italian queens in a emergency last year and 3/3  made it through winter

[annette]

Do bees draw out comb faster if you just let them build comb from the frame top?
I'm using used plastic frames and some of them they won't even touch.

Hi Tom, its me Annette

Yep, the bees love to draw out  their own combs if they have the choice. This is one of the things I wanted to talk to you about when we get a chance.

I started my beekeeping using plastic frames.  When I got onto this beeforum I learned about other ways to do beekeeping and one of them was to let the bees draw out their own comb. This is done by giving them just the frames with some sort of starter strip to guide them.  I use wax starter strips that I melt into the frames.

I have started all my recent packages on just starter strips and the bees just go to town drawing out wax and they have, so far, drawn out nice straight combs.  This way the bees are making the size they want, not what we dictate for them

Bee in touch with you later
Annette

[Shawn]

WOB419: I took your advise and took out all the frames in the hives that were untocuhed and replaced them with frames sprayed with sugar water. We'll see if that helps.

I cheked on the foundationless hive today and didnt like what I saw. They have started on 5 to 6 frames and only one is straight. The rest of the frames are drawn together and overlapping kind of like you would see doing a cut out. How do you fix that?

[Ross]

Cut loose the interconnections, bend the comb in line with the frame, and push the frames tight together.

[sc-bee]

I failed at the foundationless thing last year. All I got was frame after frame of drone comb. I let them have it as suggested, was told they would pull what they wanted and stop. I had at least 4 full frames maybe five.
 I finally threw in the towel  :-D!

[Shawn]

Ok I had replaced the frames that the bees had not touched with some newer frames sprayed with syrup. One hive took to the frames and alraedy completed two of the frames. The original hive is still will not touch the frames. I have 3 empty frames on teh bottom deep and four frames on the top deep. Lots and lots of bees but not on the empty frames. I checked the other frames and all are full of capped brood. I know there were some post about some bees having bad traits and not building. Is there anyway to get them onto the frames? I am looking into getting some wood frames with foundationor even HSC, depending on the cost. I just want them to get built up so I can have some honey.

[slaphead]

HSC costs an arm and a leg.

Wedge top wooden frames are a lot less and very easily adapted to go foundationless.

Started 3 packages on foundationless, wooden frames on May 3rd and all 3 are building beautiful, straight, heart shaped combs.  Well at least until they hit the bottom bar.

Recommend you save your hard earned cash and get some wooden frames.

SH