Dang it! Comb broke off top bar :doh:

[fatscher]

Ok, was inspecting my TBH the other day, and all of a sudden, I could feel resistance but felt I could pull the top bar anyhow. Bad move. Suddenly the TB was REAL easy to pull up. Does this happen often with TBHs?

I suppose the bees will repair it, but how invasive should I be? Should I remove the broken comb (because the bees will likely reattach it to the sides of the TBH now right?

Or should I just be "Warre-esque" & au natuerelle and ignore it.

All opinions welcome...and if you want to call me names for being dumb, that's ok too!

[DavesBees]

You need to do one of about three things. If it is brood use some wire coat hangers to hold it upright where it sits; leave them the bee space to get around the comb and keep the brood warm. If it is honey then you can move it to the end of the hive and they will clean it up. In either case you can make a frame a little smaller than a follower board (leave bee space) to hold the fallen comb in. In the future use a long knife to cut from the bottom up along the sides and between bars if you feel any tension.

[11x]

if you need to fix it cut the comb lose and take it out .take a piece of rag about 3 inches wide or so and stapel it to the end of the bar. then run it long ways under the comb to hold the comb tight to the top bar and staple it on the other end of the bar. i suspect this is new comb and it is very soft. i have tries using string,wire ,ruberbands ect. all of them will tear right through a fully drawn comb if it is soft that is whi i use the sling method i described. sorry for the spelling i just got up and am getting ready for work....

[Sam-Smith]

if you need to fix it cut the comb lose and take it out .take a piece of rag about 3 inches wide or so and stapel it to the end of the bar. then run it long ways under the comb to hold the comb tight to the top bar and staple it on the other end of the bar. i suspect this is new comb and it is very soft. i have tries using string,wire ,ruberbands ect. all of them will tear right through a fully drawn comb if it is soft that is whi i use the sling method i described. sorry for the spelling i just got up and am getting ready for work....

That sling method is a new one on me. This year I built a removable frame system so that it works like this sling, you can remove the frame once the bees attach the comb properly. My purpose was cut-outs but I did end up using this to repair a failed comb, I highly recommend some emergency frames, I still love the frame-less approach I just use them in special situations

[mtbe]

Sam-Smith:

Any pictures of your frames? I just had 3 combs collapse in one of my hives due to the heat and weight. They were 3/4 full of honey, 1/2 capped, so I took them, but I'd rather leave them until more full.

[Sam-Smith]

let me post them on photobucket..





I just glued them together, to hold them while the glue set I stapled, then I used the table saw to cut a matching groove to fit my tb's you could just use flat tb's ans skip the angle cutting part

[fatscher]

if you need to fix it cut the comb lose and take it out .take a piece of rag about 3 inches wide or so and stapel it to the end of the bar. then run it long ways under the comb to hold the comb tight to the top bar and staple it on the other end of the bar. i suspect this is new comb and it is very soft. i have tries using string,wire ,ruberbands ect. all of them will tear right through a fully drawn comb if it is soft that is whi i use the sling method i described. sorry for the spelling i just got up and am getting ready for work....

Good tip! THANKS!!!

let me post them on photobucket..

I just glued them together, to hold them while the glue set I stapled, then I used the table saw to cut a matching groove to fit my tb's you could just use flat tb's ans skip the angle cutting part

OooooH! Nice woodworking skills for sure!!! Thanks, great tip!