Dummy board, daft question.

[MuswellMetro]

So, if I understand your answer correctly, you're saying that "yes", they may well try to fill up the void if there is a void, right?

The way I understood the OP's question initially was how to deal with the fact that these bees may start building comb in an inorderly fashion on the other side of the dummy board. That would be my main fear as well, and that is why I would fill up that space with frames (with or without foundation).

op
agree, we have not answered the OP questions, wehave just given him better alterantive and he might not have a free ply nuc or know how to mke a dividsion board etc

So with a standard single first Hive i would say, "yes they can fill the void but will only do so when they have NORMALLY used up all the foundation on the brood side of the Dummy board, however they are bees and dont read books"

So better to fill the void with either foundation frames or as other suggest a substance like bubble wrap that they will not eat!!!, , in a Heavy flow i use foundation, in spring or autumn i use a insulated 8" thick dummy doard( kingspan cut to size and duck taped edges to stop them eating it

 

[itma]

but would tweak the answer slightly

... "yes they might fill the void but would NORMALLY only do so when they have used up all the foundation on the brood side of the Dummy board, however they are bees and dont read books - and one other notable possibility is that, having filled their side, they could swarm rather than bother with the other side of the dummy board!"
...

 

[Tomo]

Thanks for all of your answers, all is clear.
Up to now I had never heard of a divider board, that's after reading a couple of
beginner books and doing a course!