brace comb - can i stop them?

[beesleybees]

Hi guys,

done an inspection again today as i may be 2 weeks before i can inspect again.

anyway, got a small colony that i picked up as a swarm last year.I didnt have enough foundation frames ready for them at the time so fgave them a couple of drawn out super frames to get them going.

They have drawn wild comb on these now and are full of brood. Problem is, on one of the super frames, they insist on building more comb for the wild comb onto the walls of the brood box. This means everytime i do an inspection and move the frame, the get mighty pee'd off that I ripped off a chunk of comb full of brood and most larvae end up on the OMF

I cant swap this frame for new foundation as its quite close to the centre of the brood nest and full of brood. any advice appreciated.

 

[enrico]

Ditch the frames. Not worth messing around with, ......... or make a whole new brood box up, put those frames in that and fill with undrawn wax and put on top of QE, when brood emerges take it all off again with bee escapes or leave on as a large super, if your extractor can take brood frames, or use for AS.
E

 

[drstitson]

"I can't swap this frame for new foundation as its quite close to the centre of the brood nest and full of brood."

yes you can. provided the colony is going good guns no reason you can't place a frame of foundation in centre of brood nest. Ignore the books and read the previous thread by PH about working the brood.

do you have a super on? if so you could put the shallow frame of brood upstairs until it's all emerged so as to waste as little brood as possible.

BTW is the brace/free comb drone brood? if so a cull would be helpful to the colony anyway.

 

[Finman]

Let now the things are as they are. Give to them more space under the recent box.
When the new space is in order and you meet the queen there, isolate the queen laying into good box. Then let the mesh brood emerge out and bees fill combs with honey.

After tree weeks you cut the honey combs off and clear out the things.

Surely weathers are better then to clear out from te soup.

At least it is good they hives has brood every where.

.