Here's a tip for newbies

[yoyo]

Here is a tip for reducing the amount of burr comb built and getting the best drawn comb possible.Make sure your hive is level side to side. Bees draw comb and they use gravity when festooning. This means if your hive is leaning, the comb will not be straight in the frame. Keep the frames pushed tight together and centered in the box. This keeps the proper bee space once they begin to draw comb. This will leave a little space at each end of the box which the bees may or may not build burr comb in. After a week or two, the bees will stick the frames together where they touch with propalise. If you pull out any frames after they have stuck them together, there will be a layer of propalise stuck on the shoulders of each frame. Scrap this propalise off before putting the frames back to prevent the propalise from building up a thick layer effectively pushing the frames apart. I am starting to experiment with the housal positioning method and at first glance, looks to be promising in reducing burr comb.
Hope this helps!

[jasontatro]

Make sure your hive is level side to side.

I've wondered about this, especially when it comes to doing foundationless frames. I understand the reasoning, to get straight comb, but what about all the literature that says you need to tilt your hives toward the front to allow condensation to run to the front and drain out. Do you just vent them at the top?

Thanks,

JT

[Dr.Wax]

Good advice!

I will check my hives for being level soon. Hadn't considered how that could impact the drawing of comb.

[HAB]

I may be wrong, but he only mentioned level from side to side. Which is what we've always been told to do and a forward lean of just a degree or two, just enough for a round dowel to roll off. :)

[peterdubh]

if you have a mesh floor you don’t really need to tilt the hive forward.

What is the favourite kind of frame spacing in Amrerica?

[Mike Gillmore]

What is the favourite kind of frame spacing in Amrerica?

Most standard frame ends are cut to 1 3/8" wide.

[Hobie]

if you have a mesh floor you don’t really need to tilt the hive forward.

I would tilt anyway, so that any condensation on the cover would tend to run forward and down the wall instead of rain down on the frames. Kind of a "can't hurt, might help" philosophy.

[xC0000005]

I primarily use foundationless frames and I tilt the hives forward. Side to side leveling is important, front to back is not so much. I have some combs from a frame where the hive was off level - I had to cut loose the side pieces and bend it back into line. That would have been uneccessary if I had simply leveled the hive before I left. While I use an actual level here at the house, I've used a clear coffee cup out in the bee yard - just checking the water level against the little green line.

[yoyo]

Hobie , you are correct. Any condensation can run down the the walls instead of dripping on the cluster. Any small amount of forward tilt is not recognized by the bees as long as the hive is level side to side, to a certain degree. It could make a difference if the frames are rotated 180 degrees, and there was a considerable amount of tilt. I must also mention that if you let the bees draw all natural comb they will draw it straight and true with very little chance of burr comb when you re-arrange frames in the hive. With wax, the heat generated in the hive will most certainly cause it to bow and curve. This really makes it hard to re-arrange frames because the bees will draw comb that follows the curve and when you move them, you can wind up with frames that have comb that actually touch and frames that have too much of a gap between them, violating the bee space. If you wire your frames you should have less of a problem with this. I consider this more important than the strength it gives to the frames when dealing with brood frames, after all, you will never need to extract brood frames. After a super is drawn,capped and extracted, it will be a uniform comb ( more or less)after uncapping and when the bees re-use it, it should be straighter.

[HAB]

To drain any top condensation was why we were told to tilt the hive forward. If its level on all axis it just clings to the top until its absorbed or drips on to the frames. Here humidity/moisture is a big problem. We have to get it out. Venting during those hot humid still dog days is our standard practice. Winter rain is just as bad but we don't vent just lean 1 or 2 degrees forward.:)

[peterdubh]

I would tilt anyway, so that any condensation on the cover would tend to run forward and down the wall instead of rain down on the frames. Kind of a "can't hurt, might help" philosophy.

i have mesh floors but still keep mine tilted but never gave much real thought to the condensation. will keep it in mind though. thanks