Help - Frames stuck together.

[Holyhabanero]

I'm a first year beekeeper, and shortly before the weather turned cold, I went to inspect my hive and found that the bees had build up the wax at the top of the brood box so now the frames of the brood box are attached to the frames of the super above it. I tried to pull one frame up, hoping they would separate, but instead it pulled up that frame and the one in the brood box below it, and finally the weight caused the frame to break. Since the winter was getting close I decided to just leave them alone, not wanting to mess stress them out before the winter set in. But now I'm wondering if I should have trying to figure out what I need to do and when to do it.

I thought of running a wire between the boxes to cut separate the frames, but am not sure if this is the best thing to do. Also, would you do this now while the weather is cold and snowy or wait for it to warm up in Spring?

[jrbbees]

Using the wire is not a new idea and works very well. Move it slowly and most all the bee will move out of the way.

[AstroBee]

Looking at the forecast, it appears that your lows are going to be in the mid-teens!! I would not touch this hive in that weather. Having an empty super is not a huge deal, and certainly not worth breaking apart what the bees have decided was the best way to deal with their situation.

[Vance G]

Is there honey in the top box? If there is leave it alone until you get spring in your country. If the bees are up in that frame and they must be, put fondant or mountain camp dry sugar on top and wait for spring. IN the spring either the wire to split or break the two lower boxes apart with your hive tool and wedge the space open with a small rock and then pry the bottom frames down. They shouldn't break and then the top box frames will be free to manipulate. I personally had never thought of using a wire! Your smarter than I am!

[Holyhabanero]

Yes, the top super is completely filled with honey (at least it was back in October). Thanks for the ideas. It looks like I'll just leave it alone until it warms up in the Spring and then carefully split the two supers with a wire. Next time I'll be more regular in my inspection of the hive.

[johng]

I normally try to lift and twist the top box at the same time. It sometimes take a good bit of effort. As others have said you might as wait until spring now to mess with it.

As for the frames make sure you put a nail or staple into the top bar from the end bar this will help keep the top from pulling off.

[New Ky Beekeeper]

Don't feel alone. It happens to be about half the time. I normally just twist the top brood as I lift a bit. Then I keep a bucket with a lid near by and scrape all the extra comb into it for candles.

Phil

[Fuzzy]

a. I sometimes use a really small diameter stainless aircraft braided wire wrapped around a couple of wooden handles. In some areas it might be considered a deadly weapon.

b. pry up one corner at a time and put a nail inbetween the boxes -- do all 4 corners with the nails. Now you can usually twist the top box horizontially and break it free

[Michael Bush]

After you lift the top box 1/2" or so, just go down the line with hive tool and pry each top bar of the box below down one at a time. You get very fast at it after a while.

[BEES4U]

As the hive begins it's brood rearing the internal temperatures of the hive increases and the brace comb becomes warm. At this time, you should be able to separate the hive bodies.
Wait until that time arrives.
After you get the hive bodies separated, what are your plans?

[Katharina]

They use something like that in pottery. Here is the link for a company that sells it. You probably need the XL version.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/wire-clay-cutters/

[TonyGotaTruck]

Isnt it true that if bees are building wax its because the bee space is incorrect? You need 1/4 - 3/8 space for them and no more or no less... If its less then they seal with propolis.. If it more they ladder it with wax...

[Michael Bush]

>Isnt it true that if bees are building wax its because the bee space is incorrect? You need 1/4 - 3/8 space for them and no more or no less

If they have thick top bars and correct beespace they shouldn't make many attachments. However if they have thin top bars (and all the plastic does) they will attach it anyway, with or without proper beespace.

Thick top bars:
a quick search of 50 years among the bees turns it up on page 46.

"When attending that same convention that very practical Canadian bee-keeper, J.B. Hall, showed me his thick top-bars, and told me that they prevented the building up of so much burr-comb between the top-bars and the sections. Although I made no immediate practical use of this knowledge, it had no little to do with my using thick top-bars afterwards. i was at that time using the Heddon slat honey-board (Fig. 6) and the use of it with the frames I then had was a boon. It kept the bottoms of the sections clean, but when it was necessary to open the brood-chamber there was found a solid mass of honey between the honey-board and the top bars. It was something of a nuisance, too, to have this extra part in the way, and I am very glad that at the present day it can be dispensed with by having top-bars 1-1/8 inch wide and 7/8 inch thick, with a space of 1/4 inch between top-bar and section. Not that there is an entire absence of burr-combs, but near enough to it so that one can get along much more comfortably than with the slat honey-board. At any rate there is no longer the killing of bees that there was every day the dauby honey-board was replaced."
--C.C. Miller, Fifty Years Among the Bees.

"Q. Do you believe that a half-inch thick brood-frame top-bar
will tend to prevent the bees building burr-comb on such frames,
as well as the three-quarter inch top-bar? Which kind do you
use?

A. I do not believe that the one-half inch will prevent burr-
combs quite as well as the three-quarter. Mine are seven-eighths."
--C.C. Miller, A Thousand Answers to Beekeeping Questions