Brood being built on wrong frames!

[Starbuck99]

I have recently been given a swarm by a friend in a nuc, but he only had normal sized super frames as an emergency measure.
He transferred the frames into my new national hive and settled for a week.
The hive was then transferred to my new hive location and left again to settle for another week.
Today I opened up and inspected for the first time! (my first beekeeping activity for 36 years!!)
I claim to be new at this as my memory is fond but forgetful.
Anyway, on inspection they have built comb under the frames on seems to be heading for the floor of the brood chamber!
Some of my new larger brood frames have come built on the foundation.
Didn't see the queen this time around but quite happy with that.
I added a contact feeder as well today and hope this is good?
Your thoughts advice would bee appreciated??
On a good note didn't get stung and they seemed very calm!M
Very excited about getting back to it again.
Thanks for advice so far.

 

[meidel]

You can gradually move the super frames to the outer periphery as the brood emerge so that come next year when the queen has yet to lay in them you can swap them for the right size ones.

sounds like you've got a nice colony there

 

[Starbuck99]

Yes they are either great actors and leading me into a false sense of security or chilled happy bees!!
It's great to connect to the craft again.

 

[enrico]

A word of caution, because there is no wire in the wild comb that has been put on the bottom of the frames they are likely to break off if you hold the frames horizontal, so when inspecting always try and keep them vertical!

 

[Starbuck99]

Good call all noted thanks

 

[beesleybees]

I would have advised to remove the super frames with wild comb and replace with the right size brood frames. Then either remove the wild comb and discard and put the super frames with eggs in, in a super with a qx in between.

reason being is that Ive used super frames in a brood box before in an emergency but find that they build drone sized cells in the wild foundation rather than worker so its kind of pointless

just my opinion

 

[abi-e]

I had this earlier in the summer when the bees wild combed the super I had put into a nuc as stores. They had made a proper curtain of comb and the queen had laid in it! I left it for a few weeks and in the end plucked up courage to cut the wild comb out and tie it in to a proper sized brood frame. It was successful and worked a treat - the curtain is still visible, the queen is still laying in it, but the bees are expanding nicely into a full sized brood box.
I would add a word of caution having tried to do the same kind of thing a week or so later on my other hive - I did it on a warm day, cut out the drawn foundation from the super and the wild brace comb from beneath it thatwas full of capped brood, and the comb simply collapsed into a gooey, honeyed mess!!
It did mean I did some drone culling that I wouldn't otherwise have done and the varroa levels are low - definitely better on a cooler day so the comb is firmer.

 

[Starbuck99]

Do I just take the super frame away minus the bees, then wire it into a brood frame, not sure if I could attempt that!
How long could I have it away from the hive for?

 

[abi-e]

Yes, shake out as many bees as you can, then cover the brood box with the crown board. Place an empty brood frame on top of your crown board with the string already laid out ready to tie in place, cut out the comb from your super and the wild comb from beneath it then gently place the comb you have cutout into the brood frame. Tie the strings to hold the comb in place - the bees will soon attach it to the brood frame.
When I did it, I literally did it on top of the hive and slotted the brood frame back in to the hive. I did have a helper to puff some smoke and help with an extra pair of hands. It didn't take more than 5 minutes to do. The main thing was to have everything ready - string cut - 2 vertical and 2 horizontal, knife or scissonrs to cut out the comb (remember the super will have wire in it to be cut too) and the smoker going well.

 

[oliver90owner]

but find that they build drone sized cells in the wild foundation rather than worker so its kind of pointles

Doubt that at this time of the year. Expanding colonies are not stupid - and raise drone at the expense of the hive. They do that when conditions are right.

 

[Heather]

but find that they build drone sized cells in the wild foundation rather than worker so its kind of pointles

Doubt that at this time of the year. Expanding colonies are not stupid - and raise drone at the expense of the hive. They do that when conditions are right.

I would leave alone for now- don't mess them at this time of the year. They have spent a lot of effort building- let them use it.
Do a Bailey next Spring.

I always put one super in my brood boxes early in the year to encourage drone brood. Bit to check for varroa + to increase drone for the area.

 

[george]

Agree with both the previous posts , she wont lay drone at this time of yr even if they do draw it as drone comb . Get the colony as big and healthy as you can for Winter .
G

 

[ratcatcher]

if you narrow your location down a little to a town rather than just essex, someone near you may offer to pop round if you ever need an extra pair of hands

 

[Starbuck99]

I guess I can have the string attached to one side of the brood frame prior to carrying out this procedure ? Or have I missed the point?

 

[Starbuck99]

I am near hockley

 

[meidel]

Look here, in the nicest possible way, my advice is that unless the wild comb breaks off mid inspection don't waste your time cutting it out, tying with string, etc... Plenty of us have had wild comb on the wrong size frames either because we do it on purpose or someone else has given us bees on shorter frames than our brood boxes and we've been managing with them without changing them or only changing them at a time least disruptive to the bees - ie before the spring buildup. If you move these wrong size frames towards the outer periphery of the brood than the queen will stop laying in them so that when you first inspect in spring you can remove it completely and replace with the right size ones.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

but find that they build drone sized cells in the wild foundation rather than worker so its kind of pointless

just my opinion

Drone cells are unlikely at this time of year and a small colony won't usually want drones at any time of year. They want bees and food to get them through the winter.


Super frames at the side of the hive. As the colony expands they'll fill up the brood frames. The super frames can be removed in the Spring or at another time. In my view it's too late in the year to split the brood or mess about with the colony.

Treat for varroa, feed and let them get on with it.

 

[Starbuck99]

Good advice and noted!!

 

[Starbuck99]

Example!

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