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How to get the bees to draw comb faster?

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Joseph Clemens:
Way off topic.

Canola = Canadian Oil?

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/nexus/Brassica_napus_nex.html

tig:
from my experience, some colonies just simply suck at comb building irregardless of colony strength.  i have about 150 colonies and we have taken to marking the boxes that qualify as comb builders.  but have you tried feeding a 60/40 ratio?  6 parts sugar to 4 parts water.  the heavy feed usually stimulates comb building plus of course having a lot of young nurse bees!

Michael Bush:
>bayareaartist asked a valid question and you responded as if it were not.

It is not my intention to trivialize the question.  My intention is to point out that the answer is that it IS trival.  The bees will draw comb when they need it.  If you try to force them to do so, you will simply end up with a clogged up brood nest and a swarmy hive.  If you don't try to make them draw comb they will do so when they need to.  They will not do so when they don't need to.

>i I just think the person needed a better response than that

What response would you like?  I think you should not worry about it.  Is that an adequate response?

> - it is clear you are a very experienced beekeeper, just remember some of us are not. and there seem to be some folks who believe good management - and creating ideal conditions for honey production - can increase honey yield. How can you disagree with that?

Most "managment" is just interference and decreases honey yeild.  The few things that are useful to maximizing honey yeilds are to feed early to get a lot of brood going into a flow (without going too early and causing them to swarm), timing your splits as cut downs just before the flow instead of earlier or later when it won't maximize your yeild, and keeping the brood nest open so they don't swarm.  Feeding to try to get them to draw comb will clog the brood nest so they will be more likely to swarm.

I do not reverse boxes.  Some people think this will prevent swarming and maximize yeild.  It WILL prevent swarming mostly but it will not increase the yeild (other than the amount you would lose because they swarmed).  It forces them to rearrange the entire brood nest.

I don't feed except SOMTIMES a bit in the early spring for stimulation and when they are low on stores and I'm afraid of starvation or they are light in the fall and I'm afraid of them starving over winter.

>don't add a super when they need it and see how long they stay.

I've never had a hive abscond because I didn't feed them.  I'm not sure what you mean.  But I would CERTAINLY feed a hive that is in danger of starving.

>I'd leave this up to the individual beekeeper

Everything is up to the individual beekeeper.  But if you want my advice, I gave it.  If you don't want to follow it, it makes no difference whatsoever to me.

> if this person feels they are slow, they have eyes on their hives, we don't. they may be comparing them to one sitting right next to it.

And if that is so, maybe there is something else going on or it may just be genetics.  But if everything else looks good I am recommending not worrying about it.

>sorry - insert the word "observe" You can use symantics

I really would rather not.

> if you like, take my words out of context

That is not my intent.

> but from my perspective as a new beekeeper, you took a perfectly valid question and made the person look like they asked a dumb question

That was certainly not my intention.  My intention was to point out that new beekeepers often dwell on what they believe the bees should be doing and the bees know exactly what they should be doing.  If they need comb they will draw it.

>which may be the first time I saw that in this forum where folks are normally happy to hellp new people

If you look on www.beesource.com you'll see I have happily posted more than 14,000 times in an effert to happily help beekeepers.  My intent was to be helpful.  I am sorry that you took it in a different way.

FordGuy:
sorry for my confusion, thanks for taking the time to clear that up...I guess I identify with the guy asking the question since I know so little about this and am trying to learn...thanks again.

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