How do I persuade them to draw comb

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Martin Pamplin

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Mar 13, 2011
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Location
Galway
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I have one hive, Queen laying well. Worried that they are running short on space I gave them another box (Rose) with foundation. 9 days later and they have built brace comb between the existing and new frames but have not touched the new foundation at all. How does one persuade them to use the foundation rather than just gumming everything up?
 
you cant make the bees draw out the foundation. They will only draw it out when the temps are ok and they need the room.
You dont give any info on how many frames of brood/stores etc this will help with answers.
 
If you want the bees to draw foundation feed with 1:1 sugar solution from a contact feeder
 
Finman and itlm said put super under brood box no qx it worked for me. Switched it round when they drew out 60% asi knew osr would yield on the hotter days
 
In order to favorize comb construction I do :
- mix drawn combs and new frames.
- feed with homemade sirup (50:50) water/sugar powder.
- no queen excluder
- bottom board covered to keep good temperature.
- then continue to feed, feed and feed and don't disturb them anymore
 
If you want the bees to draw foundation feed with 1:1 sugar solution from a contact feeder

that is splended.
First bees fill present combs with sugar and then they start to draw foundations.

It almost June now but a great idea to make honey in cold summer..

.
 
They won't draw comb if they don't have nectar income, but 1:1 can substitute.
They won't draw comb if they aren't warm enough, but you can insulate the hive to make it warmer.

But these actions won't force them to draw comb, they only remove barriers.

You can move stores frames up into the new box, where they will 'seed' it and give them the idea of putting more there.
BUT you need to think carefully about keeping stored syrup from being mixed with any honey crop - but that is a long way away still.

The best place to put a frame of foundation to get it drawn is between stores and brood. With a smallish colony, you should avoid splitting the brood with a frame of foundation.

With a new box, new frames and foundation, its probably a good idea to put the box under the rest for a couple of weeks to get it (necessarily) used (even if only as an entrance passage) and importantly bee-used - which will make it more attractive when it is moved up.


However, because you are using an OSB hive, you have the opportunity of another option.
You can rearrange the frames to a double-brood config. You'd expect to be using (at least) two boxes for brood.
Rearranging the frames needs a bit of care - you must keep the brood together, vertically and horizontally. Having the assistance of a more experienced beek would be extremely helpful.
This should give you the opportunity to use the 'one frame of foundation between brood and stores' thing at the same time.
My suggestion would be to have no more than four frames of foundation in the double-brood config, and to use dummy boards.

It would be a very good idea to get a few frames part-drawn, by temporary insertion into this double brood, and then use them to present the bees with a 'super' that is not completely undrawn.


If they don't draw and use the new box swiftly, you must expect swarming - and so you do need to keep a sharp lookout for swarm queen cells.
 
Hi Martin,
I waited and coax all last summer with what I thought was a strong colony - nothing. This year it has worked on one colony so far 11 frames of brood at last inspection, so hopefully I will get some honey. Yet to inspect the other. If you feed they will probably swarm and you won't get any honey. I have followed itma's advice above on this.
 
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This thread is real "highway to catastrophe".
Oh dear!

Every hive will do the combs when they need them.
 
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... I gave them another box (Rose) with foundation.
I fear that many may not have spotted this essential detail.

Without understanding that your single box with bees is actually smaller than a standard National brood, the advice will be wide of the mark.
 

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