Getting them to work

Sometimes thats how you do it.......you can also checkerboard the frames...empty foundation....drawn.....empty....drawn....and so on. It helps. Plus, if you do that, you can take the drawn ones and move them up.....

Try spraying the foundation with syrup.

Bees make wax scales from sugar so feed them heavily. That is the recommendation that comes with the case of plastic foundation. I was bored on day and actually read the directions. When their bellies are full of sugar, and they will not ignore sweets, they will festoon and generate wax scales to make comb. A similar principle works with the dog. I do not chase her. I run and she chases me. It is in their genes dogs chase! Bees gather sugar!

Checkerboarding results in drawn comb filled with brood. I guess I'd like to know how to get them to draw without the brood.

I thought about spraying the foundation with syrup or sugar water, but didn't know if it would work.

Its the nectar flow, and I would think enough fuel is coming in for them to do something with.

I guess I don't get these bees. Why won't they do what I want?

i handed mine the book today and came back to the house. We will see how they do..LOL
But really, add them, and when they get close to having them drawn, move them, or feed the heck outta them. They will go up, I promise...and checkerboarding isnt always for brood. I did it with my big hive, made 4 splits in late march and let them draw out 30 frames for my splits...worked like a charm!!!

I'm having the same problem. However, I think its due to the fact that I keep taking frames of brood from them for other hives, and they'll fill out this before they start to move up. I may have to try spraying sugar syrup on the frames next time I check on them.

my advice...
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#stopfightingbees

I'm guessing you have more than one brood box under the super. You may or may not be using a queen excluder? Make the box under the super be all the eggs and youngest larva, no stores. Put the stores and sealed brood and empties under the box of youngest larva and eggs. They'll start drawing the super faster this way to have stores above the larva needing it.

They will draw it out when they need it.