"double" capped comb

[mintmoth]

One of my bee colonies may need lessons in comb building. I removed a super today, most of the frames were neatly filled and capped. A couple were a bit wavy. One frame of comb however, was twice as wide on one side, sticking out nearly an inch beyond the frame sides. In order to fit this in, the bees had cleared most of the foundation off the neighbouring frame instead of drawing it.

Not till it was uncapped and spun did I realise what the bees had done. They had drawn, filled, and capped the comb as normal, then they had drawn more comb on top of the cappings, and filled and capped that too.

Did they take exception to that one sheet of foundation they removed, then fill up the space created, or are they just daft?

 

[enrico]

actually you get more honey that way for less cappings! some beekeepers move the super frames apart when the flow is on so that the very thing you describe happens. wide spacers are available for the purpose.
E

 

[mintmoth]

No, I got twice the cappings and had to spin the frame twice, first to remove honey from the top layer of filled cells (which I then had to completely slice off to uncap the cells below), then spin again to empty the original capped cells..

 

[Welshboyarchrr]

Extra wax and extra honey. What's to complain about?

 

[Millet]

I have not had it happen with honey YET..but i have had pollen capped and honey stored over the capping and then capped again..

 

[mintmoth]

Extra wax and extra honey. What's to complain about?

The fact that they built this double comb by removing the foundation from the next frame and building into the space. So not extra wax or honey, just more messy.

 

[Helen]

Not seen double comb before, but mine occasionally draw 'columns' of comb from the top to bottom of a super frame, leaving undrawn foundation between. The 'columns' are curved, radiating comb cells so that the cells on the edges are parallel with the foundation.

And occasionally they build comb over the foundation - leaving a gap between the foundation and the bottom of the comb - where they hide!

The little tinkers.

 

[enrico]

Sorry misunderstood you....never seen that before!
E

 

[thedozzer]

Ours had a frame with a big dent in the middle, so they built normal comb, then brace comb barely one bee space then built a saucer shaped second bit of comb on top and then left a space in the fame next to it! im sure they just do what seems right to them not us.