frames and comb

[peteinwilts]

Hi Guys

A few weeks ago I posted a thread regarding small strips of foundation on frames. This wa because I had recieved a nuc with frames already built like this.

They are in a hive which still may or may not be queenless (more previous posts!)

I have now seen why it is not recomended. Last night I thought I would go looking for a new queen or signs of a new queen.
As I approcahed the hive I could see something was not quite right. One of the largest frames that was built on a strip had pulled away from the frame and was sat on the varroa floor.

This has made looking for a queen totally impossible. The bees were still covering the very sticky lump on the floor.

My question is what to do about it. Should I leave it where it is until the bees start leaving it alone, or get it off the floor and put it on the crown board. I have taken two frames out to give the soggy lump (and bees) a bit of room.

I checked the other 4 frames and could only see foodstuffs, so I still have no idea if there is a new queen in there or not...

Cheers

 

[Hombre]

Pete, By now anything that was going to die in or under the honey filled chunk of comb has long since perished.

Do you leave it alone on the varroa mesh or put it on the roof? Well, apparently the bees are working on it and will transfer the stores, minus a handling charge to other available comb in the hive. The bees will clear it out fairly quickly to rectify/mitigate the damage and leave the dry comb behind. At that point you can remove the remaining comb from the floor and pop the wax into your wax-for-recovery bucket. Putting it on the roof of a hive is a fair option, but could encourage robbing by other bees. It becomes a good option if the "soggy mass" is seriously impeding the bees, but from the sound of it they have room and it won't take much time for them to finish the cleanup.

Replace the wrecked frame in the hive with a new frame of foundation as soon as possible.

If the frame was completely stores and if it was against another/other frame of stores rather than brood, then the chances of a queen being involved is probably only remote. Fingers crossed.

The use of strips of foundation is OK, but it needs to be trapped under the frame wedge rather than just pinched by it, because there are no supporting wires to assist. The summer heat won't help either, so great care needs to be exercised during inspections if the bees haven't quite filled the frame and made a number of attachment points.

Good luck with your Queen, I believe that you are dealing with that issue in another thread, so won't comment further here. Have a good summer.

 

[hedgerow pete]

elastic band work for me as many as you want hold the frame back to gether and either move it to the outside of the brood box for the bees to empty, or just remove completley and insert chunks in to what ever feeder you are using for them to re use.

it is quite common for a new bee of mine to prise a frame out that little bit to hard and to rip the top bar off the frame, so it does happen to all of us at times