JamesB,
every other person (beekeepers) most with over 20 to 30yrs + experience advise me they head down
If you could show me one case where a colony built comb from the floor to the roof, I would be happy to believe you. Until then, I will go with all those that advocate the correct facts that comb is normally built from the highest point in the box and is built downwards - which is where the queen heads, in any situation she might have control over.
When a swarm is hived they will always build downwards which means that queenie went upwards until she could go no further (the workers follow the queen
- as in standard swarm collection procedures for example?).
She will then lay in the uppermost comb she can (it not having a honey arch) and she will lay at the uppermost practical point for a compact, spherical (ideal) nest to conserve as much heat energy as possible (minimum surface area per unit volume).
Only then will she be moved down by the bees as they draw new comb (downwards) and, more to the point, fill above with honey. They will, in fact, not draw appreciable amounts of comb below the nest, beyond the practical limits for comb building (it's shape), until needed.
From what im lead to understand, if your Queen is injured the workers will in fact kill her
Wrong again. They will supercede her. They are not so stupid as to lose their only egg layer before a replacement is available, if at all possible.
I fear you are a little muddled, and are mixing the normal facts of hive life with the unwanted effects of interfering humans, when, after handling (clipping, marking) they (the queen) may not be recognised as the 'queen proper' and are balled by the workers, just as most other alien life-form would be when invading their space.
Hope this helps you read the post carefully. Poly Hive was, of course, refering to the queen. So the only usual way the queen would move downwards is if the space above was filled.
RAB
