I leave them. They are a good way for the bees to cross into the box above. Not only that they are going to rebuild it.
Do you destroy these types of structures
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I'm only in my second year and only had 2 hives last year, but I've been scraping it off. I feel like if I leave it, I end up squishing bees, but maybe not? Plus, I don't collect much wax, so this gives me a little whenever I open the box.
I guess it depends on how much time/how many hives you have.
I guess it depends on how much time/how many hives you have.
Might as well leave it, where else are they going to raise drones you foundation freaks. 
LOL I don't get much of this being foundationless.
LOL I don't get much of this being foundationless.They are the roads and bridges. I only take off stray comb that interferes with my manipulating frames like the buildup on the sides of the box and the buildup in the frame rests. smoke the bees off the top of the lower box before restacking.
I don't intentionally remove bur comb from my foundation frames. If there's a bridge between frames, I don't hesitate to break it when I pull a frame out, but I don't go out of my way to remove it.
I don't get much bridging with foundationless either. I only clean up the frames if its from a dead out or they have built the comb to thick that I can't use it else where.
I remove it if it's got Drone larva in it which is 99% of the time. I have drone frames they raise their drones in. Those get frozen every 3 weeks during the beginning of the season (early Spring) and the end of the season (early Fall) until the respective queens stop laying drones.
Does having a frame of drone comb( the green type) keep the queen from laying drone elsewhere in the colony? If so that would mean that you could get rid of the drone without them being a drain on the colony. Correct?I remove it if it's got Drone larva in it which is 99% of the time. I have drone frames they raise their drones in. Those get frozen every 3 weeks during the beginning of the season (early Spring) and the end of the season (early Fall) until the respective queens stop laying drones.
Same here.I leave them. They are a good way for the bees to cross into the box above. Not only that they are going to rebuild it.
I do scrape it off of stored comb before putting it back into production though.
On the bottom I usually don't, the top stuff I always do just because its right there easy to scrap off. Usually if I can easily slide the frames together I won't mess with it. My pet peave is propolis on frame side bars and frame rests. It can get out of control quickly. After a few inspections the frames will keep spreading apart. My bees propolize like no other. During the first few inspections of the year on a warm day 70+, I try to remove the build-up from the previous year.
Yes, yes, yes. I hate they waste so much energy producing the stuff. My glob of removed propolis looks like a small piece of comb by the time I get done cleaning a hive so my frames can go back together. They just feel like they have to make it and then worry where to put it.My pet peave is propolis on frame side bars and frame rests. It can get out of control quickly. After a few inspections the frames will keep spreading apart. My bees propolize like no other. During the first few inspections of the year on a warm day 70+, I try to remove the build-up from the previous year.
I like to keep my hive tool sharp enough to easily scrape off any clumps of burr comb. I don't always scrape it off, but I often do, it's how I collect beeswax, whenever I need some.
I don't scrape it off unless it's excessive. Since I went foundationless about all I get is enough for them to use as a ladder between boxes.
I don't freeze my drone frames or kill drones in any way. Hence my queens stop raising drones pretty early. The comb will be the first to be back filled.
They want a quota of drones. Killing them just makes them have to raise more.
Just my opinion.
Woody Roberts
I don't freeze my drone frames or kill drones in any way. Hence my queens stop raising drones pretty early. The comb will be the first to be back filled.
They want a quota of drones. Killing them just makes them have to raise more.
Just my opinion.
Woody Roberts
I always remove burr comb, but I rarely have much in my hives. Probably my OCD tendencies rather than necessity.
I use to but I don't anymore because it is mostly drone brood. It is an indication that you are using worker cell foundation and the hive has no where else to raise drones. If you want to you can put a foundationless frame on the outer frame positions and let them build drone comb there. That should decrease the burr comb.
It's more for trapping mites and keeping their numbers more manageable. As soon as they are capped they need to be removed and frozen (21 days). Scrape the tops off and let the hive remove the dead and start over. 21 days later repeat. It's still a drain because they are continually raising more drones but there's no large population of live drones consuming resources. I don't want to get them all but I do want to keep the VM's numbers lower than otherwise until the harvest is off and I can treat. With 5 to 15 hives per apiary there still always seems to be enough drones that make it to get queens properly mated tooDoes having a frame of drone comb( the green type) keep the queen from laying drone elsewhere in the colony? If so that would mean that you could get rid of the drone without them being a drain on the colony. Correct?
It doesn't keep her from laying elsewhere and it does curb her urge. Between the top and bottom frames is where it normally will show up as well in good times when the hive is fat dumb and happy. I simply slice the brood off when I run into it but I don't go looking for it. I do want some drones. It's only when I find it during a normal manipulations that I remove it.
Ironically if the hive is considering swarming the queen normally has the majority of her active swarm cells on that frame. I've learned you can tell a lot of a hive by reviewing its drone frame.
A healthy colony of bees makes a significant percentage of its brood comb as drone comb.Does having a frame of drone comb( the green type) keep the queen from laying drone elsewhere in the colony? If so that would mean that you could get rid of the drone without them being a drain on the colony. Correct?
When we install all worker comb, they have no where to raise that drone brood except as burr comb.
Giving the queen a frame of drone comb or two is an excellent way to prevent drone comb that is built for drone production.
If the space between the top bars in one box and the bottom bars of the one above it is much more than a bee space (3/8") they'll draw comb to fill the gap.
If you give the queen a place to lay drones, nad ensure proper bee space, you'll eliminate 2 of the three reasons bees draw burr btw boxes of frames.
Some strains of bees are going to draw drone comb no matter what you do...they do it just because that's what they do.
the only thing you can do if you keep a queen form such a strain is tolerate the comb...either leaving it so they are not constantly using resources to replace it, or scraping and keeping if for later use/sale.
For those that don't remove it are you worried about shushing bees or the queen?
Is there a trying in putting the frames back? Go slow?
What if you want to manipulate the frames?
Is there a trying in putting the frames back? Go slow?
What if you want to manipulate the frames?
I had the same concerns when I started and the experience ones calmed my nerves. I take my time when putting back frames to reduce squishing bees. I was told and now believe that the queen does not hang around the bottom of the frame when you are moving them around. She knows enough to find a safe place. The nurse bees are the ones that get in the way because when you break open brood them come to console the dying young.
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