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Bars drawn out goofy

1.7K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  AugustC  
#1 ·
Got a few bars in my TBH that look like the bees were in the process of drawing out a double row of wax on before the dearth set in, it looks like it could make a mess. So I was wanting to know how to get them back on a straight track,fall is around the corner for us and we don't see much comb being drawn this time of the year so instead of making a bigger mess I think I will let it ride until spring but would like to know what the fix is. Thanks
 
#2 ·
Definitely fix it now vs. later. If it truly is a double row, simply cut one row off. If neither is directly in the middle of the bar, as it should be, you will need to decide if you want to cut both off and move one over and hang it from a masking tape sling. The bees will reattach it and chew off the masking tape. (this only works if the comb is empty or only full of brood.) If it's heavy with honey, harvest it.

If you don't want the work of reattaching it, just leave the off-sides single row of comb until spring and move it so it gets filled with honey vs. used for constant brood production.
 
#5 ·
If it is on the outside edge of the hive leave it till spring then remove it when the comb is empty and they can try again. If the comb is in the middle then try and sort it out. They need a lot of heat for comb building which they might still be able to generate further into the colony with sufficient bee numbers. Can you see them festooning when you inspect? Is the proprolys cracking when you seperate the bars or is it still sticky? These are questions you can ask yourself to tell if they are still able to build wax.