Drawing out Comb

[Finman]

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In this case it is not at all about how fast they draw combs because they will not.

You must put it into warm nuc box where it has those 2 frames and only 1 foundation. Bees do not seem to be many. Bees have difficulties to keep brood warm in bigger hive than 3 frames.

You should get more bees for the hive. Start is too small even to experienced beekeeper.

5 frame of bees is normal nuc size, and this is far from that.
It is worth to try to a swarm somehow and join it.

That size nuc catches easily cold when it is in that size room. No insulation ptotection on sides of brood frames. Brood area needs 36C temp.

 

[Ben90]

Bees will only draw out comb on frames they have the numbers to occupy. As others have said, your colony is small at the minute. Where did you get them from? Someone who hived a cast swarm and sold it on or something?

If the colony is a good strain, they should build up to 6 frames within 6 weeks or so. Don't expect honey from them this year, though.

And yeah, like others have said, keep your frames together more tightly or you'll get brace comb problems and the bees will propolise the frames together so you have a hard time separating them with your hive tool.

 

[Finman]

Keep the frames in the same order that they are in now.


Just another thought, have you fed them at all? Some 1:1 syrup will help with wax drawing.

Noooo, that only fills combs. It has not enough nurser bees and it will not draw combs. And it cannot nurse more brood than bees cover. They seems to have thick food stores.

 

[theeggman]

Anybody out there?

Is there a forum member in the Reading area that could give Andyww a hand, fresh pair of experienced eyes and all that.

I think we are ALL on this forum to gain / share knowledge so let's help a newbee if we can.

I'm too many miles away but someone must be closer.

Tim.

 

[badger65]

Don't feed them if they have stores. They will fill valuable laying space. They should be bringing some in themselves. Keep an eye on stores.

 

[Swarm]

Noooo, that only fills combs. It has not enough nurser bees and it will not draw combs. And it cannot nurse more brood than bees cover. They seems to have thick food stores.

 

[itma]

…

Yep I've been feeding them - they've been guzzling up buckets of the stuff

Sorry, but the details do matter. What exactly have you been feeding them with?

 

[andyww]

1 litre to 1 kg ( white granulated )

 

[fabindia]

I bought a 5 frame nuc recently, and mine certainly had comb drawn out on all of them. The guy that sold me had about 12 nucs for sale and open every single one for me to look at, and asked me to choose the best. As a 'new bee', I had to admit I didn't really know what to go for but with a bit of direction from the guy, I went for a nuc with plenty of brood and plenty of bees.I was there over 2 hours and think he would have had me there all day, he was nothing if enthusiastic

 

[itma]

1 litre to 1 kg ( white granulated )

"Metric" 1:1 is actually a little bit strong at 50% sugar by weight.
The concept of 1:1 is an ancient one and actually relates to a pound of sugar to a pint of water - which works out closer to 45% sugar by weight.
Thin syrup, ideal for immediate consumption, simulating a nectar flow, is what best aids and promotes comb-drawing.

The stronger the syrup, the greater the propensity for the bees to store it.

Metric 2:1 (66.7%) is right on the borderline for solubility at 20C. (So it crystallises, blocking contact feeders in the autumn!)
2 pounds to a pint (something like 63%) is the stuff to give them if you are wanting them to store it (though commercial bee syrups using invert sugars are even better, around 73% sugars, and require little bee effort to store - so stores can be laid down very quickly indeed).


White granulated is just fine!

 

[andyww]

So what's the best, 1 litre to 500g ?

 

[oliver90owner]

I don't care about what concentration for feed. Read what Finman says and take it on board.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So what's the best, 1 litre to 500g ?

1:1 is 1:1 either litre to kilogram or pint to pound, your choice. But looking at your bees, a smaller space to live in until they've built up is more important. One frame of stores will be ample. Put them back in the nuc - let them build up to 3 to 4 frames of brood then hive them only feed if they have less than the equivalent of one frame of food to last until next inspection.
BTW who sold you a nuc that small?

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I'm not sure that nuc's as weak as it looks. The ages of the frames are deceptive; the two adjacent far frames are srawn and tgere's braceconb everywhere from being in the nuc.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a 'manufactured nuc started with one frame of brood then a queen introduced IMHO - fresh drawn frames to each side and the lack of traffic and the OP's observation of one frame of brood?

 

[sharonh]

Small colony with way too much space. put them in a poly nuc or similar. If you haven't one, dummy them down. Remove half them frames, put dummy board behind, and kingspan insulation.
IF your brood wax is new and un drawn, i would give them a 1:1 weak syrup to help them get started at drawing that wax out.
sharon

 

[Finman]

Small colony with way too much space. put them in a poly nuc or similar. If you haven't one, dummy them down. Remove half them frames, put dummy board behind, and kingspan insulation.
IF your brood wax is new and un drawn, i would give them a 1:1 weak syrup to help them get started at drawing that wax out.
sharon

2 frame colony in 5 frames...perhaps after 5 weeks.

Feeding again..in the middle of summer....

 

[ratcatcher]

there's braceconb everywhere from being in the nuc.

I'd say that's from the OP not pushing the frames together, you know what it's like, any more than bee space and they build

 

[oliver90owner]

Here is the likely reason: Yep I've been feeding them - they've been guzzling up buckets of the stuff

No more bee numbers but lots of stores packed in. GRREAATT, not! As I said earlier, listen or read Finman's advice and ignore the 'must feed at all times' brigade.

Why woud they need even more stores?

 

[Finman]

I'm not sure that nuc's as weak as it looks. .

It is exactly that size what it looks. And that colony really has difficulties to keep brood warm.
It does not become bigger with hoping or filling combs with syrup.