Victim of ignorance

[Itchy]

Meltdown today......
Swarms collected 2 weeks ago outgrown nucs already, colonies hurriedly homed 2 weeks ago in brood boxes with not enough frames built comb and brood on cover boards, so surgery needed.
Note to self....formalise frames, boxes, supers, insulation, feeders.
Nightmare having Hoffman and plastic spaced frames in the same box.....
As for top bar only frames and unwired... What was I thinking?

 

[pargyle]

Meltdown today......
Swarms collected 2 weeks ago outgrown nucs already, colonies hurriedly homed
As for top bar only frames and unwired... What was I thinking?

Yes ... it's just amazing how fast swarms firstly build comb, secondly grow in size ... just totally amazed me last year.

What was the problem with the foundationless, unwired frames ?

 

[oliver90owner]

Perhaps the term should not be out-grown, but out-built! There will be no more bees as yet. Yes, perhaps lots of BIAS which may start emerging quite shortly.

Don't forget the lesson or it will come back and bite again.

Question is:will others take note? I doubt it. Some might, a lot will think it won't happen to them.

 

[Itchy]

When unwired frames are full of brood and stores and a full hive temperature on a hot day, they are VERY fragile. They will all be wired from now on.

 

[oliver90owner]

Brood temperature is basically kept constant on a hot or cold day. It is generally the age of the comb which makes it fragile. Top bar hives don't have other support and those beeks cope?

When fully drawn and attached to the frame all the way around, deep frames should be easily manageable when there are a few cocoons to add rigidity. 14 x12 frames are much more difficult.

 

[beeboybee]

yep i can confirm 14x12 if the bottom of the foundation has not been drawn and attached to the bottom bar then it can easily be damaged when inspecting....

 

[enrico]

You may already know this but.....
To handle a wireless frame you should try and never have it flat so get a frame and try this
Hold the frame in front of you with one side facing your face, drop your left hand so that the frame is still vertical but now on its side with your fingers turn the frame through 180 degrees so that you are now looking at the other side, now lift your left hand again. You are now looking at the other side of the frame which is upside down but the frame has never been anything but vertical. Do it once more and you are back where you started. If you just flip the frame upside down the weight of honey etc will just break the foundation out of the frame.
Hope this helps someone somewhere!!!
E

 

[Itchy]

Thanks Enrico. I'm just a bit overly clumsy I think

 

[madasafish]

Brood temperature is basically kept constant on a hot or cold day. It is generally the age of the comb which makes it fragile. Top bar hives don't have other support and those beeks cope?

When fully drawn and attached to the frame all the way around, deep frames should be easily manageable when there are a few cocoons to add rigidity. 14 x12 frames are much more difficult.

Yes but TBH combs should never be rotated.. Fine if you turn them in your hands so you can see the other side but any sideways inclination to the vertical on brood frames - or heavy honey frames - and you WILL get a collapse or a near collapse..

Been there - got the stings...