Building Frames together (pics)

[Chevy4x4]

Hello again.

Each week my bees seem to manage to connect about 75% of the frames. In between each frame they connect them with 1-4 square inch wax sections in random places.

Do all hives do this?

Like I said I inspect each week and pull all the frames out of my two hive boxes cleaning off this extra wax. It takes me about 1.5 hours taking the utmost care and consideration for each bees well-being.

The connected frames are what makes the inspection very time consuming and difficult.

How do you guys with many hives deal with this? Seems to me like it would take up all of your time.

Also I was told that in Alabama I may no even need 2 hive boxes for brood, that I could just simply start adding supers after the first brood box became filled?

They do seem to be filling the second one mostly with honey... but I thought that might change over time.

The idea with two hive boxes for brood was to have the colony be as strong as possible with maxiumum honey flow!

thanks again for your time!

[ June 26, 2006, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Chevy4x4 ]

[Michael Bush]

>Do all hives do this?

No. Some occasionally do.

>How do you guys with many hives deal with this?

Is it plastic? Wax? I've had one do it that badly with plastic. I've never had one do it that badly with wax.

If it's wax, I'd requeen. Comb building seems to be genetic.

>Assuming you have the Seems to me like it would take up all of your time.

Sounds like it.

>Also I was told that in Alabama I may no even need 2 hive boxes for brood, that I could just simply start adding supers after the first brood box became filled?

If I had a queen that couldn't more than fill one deep with brood during the spring buildup, I'd requeen.

>They do seem to be filling the second one mostly with honey... but I thought that might change over time.

It might. Especially next spring.

[Ross]

What kind of spacing are you running?

[Chevy4x4]

I'll take some pictures for you guys tomorrow.

Sounds like requeening might not be a bad idea.

Don't you sell them Michael?

[tecumseh]

4x4 sezs:
Each week my bees seem to manage to connect about 75%

tecumseh replies:
sounds like you are not complying to standard bee space when the frames were being pulled. I find this type of behavior common fin this context. in my experience new foundation that is too close or too far apart will typically encourage connective comb. on the other hand, when I start off with 10 frames of foundation in a standard box connecting comb is quite rare.

[Chevy4x4]

Here are the pictures!

Spacing could be a problem as this is my first have, but I thought for the most part I was taking care to make all spaces equal.

But if requeening is required to fix this problem, then I will do whatever it takes.

Thanks again guys.

Here are the pictures, these were taken this afternoon. I cleaned them three days ago. This is what they have built back allready.

http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/photos2/chevy4x4/frame.jpg

http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/photos2/chevy4x4/Frames1.jpg

http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/photos2/chevy4x4/Frames3.jpg

http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/photos2/chevy4x4/ConnectedFrames.jpg

http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/photos2/chevy4x4/frame.jpg

[drobbins]

Chevy

I just got started last year
to a rookie it seems logical to space the frames out evenly
that's wrong
shove em together as tight as you can
clean the edges of the frames so you can get em close together
leave the extra space on the outside of the group of 10 (or 8) frames
this is your "working space"
if you space em out evenly you violate "bee space"
it sorta sounds from what you wrote like this may be what the problem is

Dave

[ June 26, 2006, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: drobbins ]

[Chevy4x4]

Very well could be, thanks dave!

Any other thoughts?

[The Honey House]

Looking at your pictures....

A little brace comb.
A little burr comb.

Perfectly normal looking to me.
I does not appear to be excessive to me.
I would not be concerned.
I do not even bother cleaning that off.

[ June 26, 2006, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: The Honey House ]

[Chevy4x4]

To The Honey House:

After 7-10 days it becomes much worse than this.

I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't clean it off.

Thanks

[drobbins]

thoughts?
I got thoughts out the waazoo smile.gif
useful thoughts?
that's a different issue
if your talking about thoughts on this particular problem, I'd think if you're spacing the frames out evenly in the box, that last one should fix you up
for more thought's, keep reading this forum, there's so many thoughts swirling around here it'll make your head spin smile.gif

Dave

[edit] also, as The Honey House said, they're gonna glue stuff together to some extent no matter what you do
you wrote that it was excessive
the pictures don't really show that
welcome to the world of beekeeping
it's a "sticky" place

[ June 26, 2006, 08:35 PM: Message edited by: drobbins ]

[Chevy4x4]

What worries me Drobbins: the longer I let it go unchecked, the worse it seems to become..

The pictures I posted are from three days ago, I wish I could show you some pictures after 10 days.

Do I just keep cleaning off the extra, or let them do their thing?

Thanks again!

[Michael Bush]

Make some foundationless frames or put some wax starter strips in and see what they do. smile.gif I'll bet it will improve.

[Ross]

Yep, and push them together

[Chevy4x4]

thanks everyone