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Author Topic: Is it unwise to use drawn comb from honey supers in brood chambers?  (Read 2238 times)

Offline twb

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This season I plan to transition into all mediums for brood boxes.  Since honey super cells vary in diameter is it better to use foundation and/or starter strips in my medium brood boxes and save the drawn comb for what the bees made it for in the first place (storing honey)?
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Proverbs 16:24

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TWB

Offline bassman1977

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Re: Is it unwise to use drawn comb from honey supers in brood chambers?
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2008, 09:00:08 pm »
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This season I plan to transition into all mediums for brood boxes.

Smart!  :)

Quote
Since honey super cells vary in diameter is it better to use foundation and/or starter strips in my medium brood boxes and save the drawn comb for what the bees made it for in the first place (storing honey)?

Me personally, I don't use the honey supers for brood boxes for that reason.  My thing is, I am regressing to small cell, so using the honey supers or the larger brood comb obviously is going backwards.  This will be your case also if you do the starter strips and properly work them enough to get them to natural sized cells.  Now if you are using large cell foundation for everything, I don't know how much of a difference that is going to make either way.  Probably not a whole lot.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Is it unwise to use drawn comb from honey supers in brood chambers?
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2008, 10:12:52 pm »
This season I plan to transition into all mediums for brood boxes.  Since honey super cells vary in diameter is it better to use foundation and/or starter strips in my medium brood boxes and save the drawn comb for what the bees made it for in the first place (storing honey)?

I would use some, but not fill the box with them.  If starting a package a few frames of storage comb gives the bees someplace to put what they gather and the queen will lay an irregular pattern via choice of cells she lays in.  If you put the honey combs to one side of the box and let the bees draw out the new stuff they will draw brood comb.
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Offline twb

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Re: Is it unwise to use drawn comb from honey supers in brood chambers?
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2008, 04:56:50 pm »
O.K. thanks.  Good to have the affirmation and I like your ideas too.
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Proverbs 16:24

Sincerely,
TWB

Offline mark

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Re: Is it unwise to use drawn comb from honey supers in brood chambers?
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2008, 06:03:30 pm »
you will wind up with drones in the larger cells

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Is it unwise to use drawn comb from honey supers in brood chambers?
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2008, 11:50:50 pm »
you will wind up with drones in the larger cells

Only in the comb within the proper size limits for drones, storage comb is an odd duck in that is neither drone nor brood comb in size but rather something in between or even larger.
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