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After 40 years of successful beekeeping using vertical wired foundation, I decided to once again dabble in a technique suggested by this board's greatest Gurus - foundation-less. Dozens of newbees here have followed their suggestions and and will go foundation-less. Kelley is selling foundation-less frames. I better follow suit.
I caught a bait swarm that filled a deep box of drawn worker comb wall to wall, a wax drawing machine. I thought, they will only want to draw more worker comb so that they can guarantee a large future population, drone combs will come later. In the second brood chamber I spaced four of my first ever foundationless frames between worker cell foundation. Not only did the bees draw the foundationless out in flawless 100% drone comb, the queen laid in almost every single cell. Lets see, 16 drone cells per square inch, is that going to be about 18000 drones? I am in the business for honey production. Is 18000 drones really going to help me reach my goal?
I caught a bait swarm that filled a deep box of drawn worker comb wall to wall, a wax drawing machine. I thought, they will only want to draw more worker comb so that they can guarantee a large future population, drone combs will come later. In the second brood chamber I spaced four of my first ever foundationless frames between worker cell foundation. Not only did the bees draw the foundationless out in flawless 100% drone comb, the queen laid in almost every single cell. Lets see, 16 drone cells per square inch, is that going to be about 18000 drones? I am in the business for honey production. Is 18000 drones really going to help me reach my goal?
