Frames too short!!!

[Anduril]

Work them to the end and place a lang frame with foundation between two frames you're going to get rid of. So you have brood wall, frame to get rid of, then lang frame. Any stores left in the frame can be fed back

 

[Ben32]

Ok I get it, but couldn't I take it home cut the honey comb from the national frame and attach it in to my langs frame somehow and then put it back into the brood box?

 

[colinc]

Yes you could


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[Erichalfbee]

This is not a criticism of the OP but doesn't it say on the Flow hive instructions what frames the brood boxes use?
If it doesn't it's not surprising that people get into a muddle ordering bees on the wrong frames. Langstroth nucs are quite freely available these days

 

[Anduril]

Ok I get it, but couldn't I take it home cut the honey comb from the national frame and attach it in to my langs frame somehow and then put it back into the brood box?

Yes, using elastic bands to hold the comb in the frame. Use between three to four bands, the bees will chew through the bands eventually. The bees will then draw wax to hold the comb in place. But you will need to handle the frame gently during your manipulations.

 

[Ben32]

This is not a criticism of the OP but doesn't it say on the Flow hive instructions what frames the brood boxes use?
If it doesn't it's not surprising that people get into a muddle ordering bees on the wrong frames. Langstroth nucs are quite freely available these days

My fault with the frames I guesse!
I just presumed they were all a set size as when I ordered extra frames and the queen excluder they all were the same size as my hive

 

[Ben32]

Yes, using elastic bands to hold the comb in the frame. Use between three to four bands, the bees will chew through the bands eventually. The bees will then draw wax to hold the comb in place. But you will need to handle the frame gently during your manipulations.

Great stuff thanks

 

[victor meldrew]

The short frames should present no problem . The bees will extend them to match the correct sized ones . Most of the brood and the extensions being drone brood which you can cut off as part of Varroa control !
You can gradually replace them with normal sized as you go along !
I suspect your nuc was constructed using Super frames !
Constructing a short form brood box wasn't reall necessary !


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[Tremyfro]

For those who don't know...when you buy a Flow hive....it comes with everything you need...including frames. However, you buy or acquire your own bees. Since it is a langstroth hive format...then if buying a nuc...ordering one on langstroth frames makes installing them easier. In many countries beekeepers install a box of bees with a queen...so there is no issue about frames. Flow now make a British Standard hive with Flow frames to fit.

 

[Ben32]

Hi,
The bees are not filling the gaps up properly on the frames, they are filling the gaps up from the side of another frame instead of from the top of the frames, therefore making them interlocking, as we talked about earlier I have attached my smaller frames to the langsteoth 1s using tye wraps, any advise? Please

 

[Anduril]

They leave gaps in the frames for communication. But if they are attaching frame to frame that would suggest a frame spacing issue.

 

[Ben32]

No it's not a frame spacing issue I don't think, it's the 1 inche gaps at either end they are doing it with, if you remember I have national frames tied to langstroth frames, wich left me with a 1 inche gap at either end of each frame, it's in these gaps that they are buildng comb out wards instead of downward from the top of the frames, the middle of the frames are ok, it's just on the ends were the gaps are

 

[Anduril]

Can you attach the (Langstroth) side bars to the Langstroth frames? This would stop the comb being attached to the side walls. You do not need to nail them in, just as long as they are a tight fit.

 

[Ben32]

There already on, their not attaching to the side walls of the hive but building the comb side ways from 1 frame to the next in the gaps

 

[Ben32]

Hard to explain,
I have gaps at each end of my frames around 1 inch, on 6 frames, these frames are at the side of each other, I have the sides on the lansthroth frames so basically all the bees need to do is build Combe down to fill these gaps until I work them out of the hive, but the bees are basically building comb in the gaps all over the place to fill the gaps, making them interlocking, the middle of each frame is ok were the national frames are attached, it's just the gaps at each end, I thought of putting some kind of devider at each end of the frame to stop them building through to the next gap on each frame

 

[Anduril]

So the bees are bridging the frames together between the side bars of the national and langstroth. In other words the frames are stuck together with comb. How are the langstroth frames being drawn out? If they are OK and contain brood start placing the langstroth between the national frames and scrape away the bridging comb. Say one either side per week.

 

[Ben32]

Yes everything looks ok, my brood box is filling out nicely apart from this small problem, yes I think I will start to replace more frames and put between the 1s that are cousing the problems, thanks

 

[Tremyfro]

Another way of finally resolving the frame issue is to add another brood box above with just langstroth frames....put a feeder on to get them started. They will pull out the frames and the queen will move up to lay. Once she is doing that. Swop the boxes around and put a QE between. Leave a top entrance for the drones. The brood will emerge and you can remove the national frames.