Bees capping empty frames

[user 3509]

A beekeeping colleague showed me a drawn super frame last week that was completely capped. The only thing was that the frame was completely empty. All the other frames in the super were exactly the same. He had put the wet super back on top of the crown board after extraction. The bees had cleaned every last drop of honey out of the frames and then proceeded to cap all of the frames. I know that bees are unpredictable and don’t read the books, but has anyone experienced this before?

 

[pargyle]

I know that bees are unpredictable and don’t read the books, but has anyone experienced this before?

35 views and not a single post !! I think you have your answer .. is this a beekeeping first or april fools day ?

I have vision of someone with a lot of patience, a wicked sense of humour and a hypodermic syringe !

I did the cutting a banana into segments trick without peeling it on my 6 year old grandson ... backfired on me as he now always wants Grandad's sliced bananas when he visits. He thinks they grow them specially for me ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ive had the odd twenty or so cells dotted about a full frame like this but never a whole frame let alone a super

 

[user 3509]

It is certainly not an April fools trick. The experienced beekeeper who the frames belonged to had never seen anything like it before, and neither had we. He actually brought one frame along to the Beginners session that we were teaching on honey and extraction and I used it to demonstrate uncapping a fully capped frame. It was fully capped on both sides and was completely dry inside and he said he had 9 more frames at home just like it.

 

[pargyle]

It is certainly not an April fools trick. The experienced beekeeper who the frames belonged to had never seen anything like it before, and neither had we. He actually brought one frame along to the Beginners session that we were teaching on honey and extraction and I used it to demonstrate uncapping a fully capped frame. It was fully capped on both sides and was completely dry inside and he said he had 9 more frames at home just like it.

Bizarre isn't it ?