What are "drawn out" frames?

[juzzerbee]

I am preparing for when I will need to add my 2nd deep onto my hive. I have learned that you add another box when 7-8 frames have been drawn out. Just for clarification, does this mean that the entire frame has the same depth of comb over the ENTIRE foundation? Right now some of my frames have a "wave" over comb and they seem to be building the comb out first and slowly working to the sides, second.

Also, will the same bees stay and "work" the same frame their entire life, or do they move around to different frames? The reason I ask is because when my brood hatch, I will have many more bees to start helping. This will cause the comb to be drawn out faster, so I will need to make sure that I add the 2nd box early enough.

As I inspect my bees through the top of my inner cover "it is clear", I have noticed that the bees on the tops of the frames are staying in the back right corner of the hive. This is where I hung my queen cage, about 3-4 frames in and offset from the inner cover feeder hole. Shouldn't they be covering the tops of the frames wherever the rest of bees are drawing out the comb? I am waiting to see if my queen is still around and if this might be a sign of whether or not she is. That is the reason for my concern. Thanks, juzzerbee

[honeyman46408]

will the same bees stay and "work" the same frame their entire life,

No they graduate to different jobs.

I always hang the QC in the center

The frames dont have to be completely drawn main thing is when they have 8 frames covered with bees. You can move a frame of two up into the second box too, sometimes this helps get them started in the second box.

[robherc]

1) Once most of the foundation in a frame has been drawn out, consider the frame "drawn" for your purposes...the bees may never draw it out 100% "smooth and even" so I wouldn't even begin to worry about that anywhere other than a honey super you're planning on cutting comb honey out of.

2) As honeyman said, bees "graduate" to different jobs in the hive as they age, and will work wherever & however they're needed most.

3) In a smaller colony, the cluster of bees on top of the top bars serve as a fairly reliable indication of the area your queen is likely in... or at least the area where the most work is going on right this moment. Only my biggest swarms (over 6-7lbs) tend to spread out over the whole length of the frames; the rest tend to cluster in one corner of the hive; then work their way to the back, still on that side. They'll spread out and "fill in" the empty space later, once some brood starts emerging & the colony grows

[juzzerbee]

Great help. So in another thread that I have going on the site, I am asking for help finding the Queen and her brood during my up-coming 2 week inspection. Would it be a safe assumption to look where the bees are on the top of the frames and assume the queen, her brood, or both "should" be in that general vacinity on the frames??? I don't want to overlook any chance there are eggs and my queen is actually doing fine.

Honeyman-when you say, "8 frames covered with bees" you are referring to the foudation/comb being covered, not the top of the frame.......right? Thanks, juzzerbee

[NasalSponge]

Finding brood is easy especially after it become a grub, finding the queen takes some practice. She is usually near freshly laid eggs but if you use smoke she can be anywhere. Although rare she can even be on the sides of the box. She moves differently then the workers and once again if you use smoke a good number of them will be head down in honey cells, she will not be.

Frames covered with bees....Comb covered not the top.