[mlanden]

.... should I instead put the empty comb back into the big hive from which it was taken? [I put "fresh", undrawn plastic foundation into the hive when I removed the honeycomb].

My thinking was that frames with already-constructed comb would be bee-appreciated if I added a medium of it to a deep brood box (from a swarm I garnered a couple of weeks ago) that's getting crowded now.

OR ... would that be a problem for The Girls? I mean, maybe they still don't have the #'s for patrolling the SHBs that could use the cells for hiding?

If such is the case, maybe a better strategy would be to use about 5 frames of the now-empty comb as well as 5 frames with only wax-coated foundation?

OR .... better just to use a medium with all "fresh" foundation frames? :s

Any ideas, anecdotes, suggestions appreciated!

Mitch

 

[kaizen]

oy..........you lost me three times. yes bees like drawn foundation as they can just use it without drawing. the larger hive will draw out faster if they need it. Why are you harvesting comb? Comb is one of the hardest assets to build up in an apiary.

 

[mlanden]

OK, Ter -- maybe my phraseology wasn't on-target; I meant, I harvested the honey from the combs, and now want to place the comb-sporting frames either into the hive whence they came OR use them to populate a medium I'll add to a brood deep (for a swarm I "gathered" a few weeks ago) .... My biggest concern is about the SHBs; bees in a single deep may not be able to patrol a medium of 5-10 frames with lots of empty comb.

Mitch

 

[Eikel]

My biggest concern is about the SHBs; bees in a single deep may not be able to patrol a medium of 5-10 frames with lots of empty comb.

Good thinking, matching real estate and bee population is something I try to keep an eye on. Returning the box of extracted comb to the original colony is common practice and will net you a little more honey. If you're adding drawn comb to a smaller colony, I would also be concerned with too much real estate to protect. In those cases I only add enough drawn frames as I think they can protect, fill the rest of the box with empty frames, keep an eye on them and adjust as appropriate.

One thought about adding drawn frames to a swarm, swarms are wax making machines and are geared to drawing out lots of comb very quickly. If you need/want more comb I'd consider giving them empty frames, feeding and letting them draw out extra comb for you.

 

[kaizen]

OK, Ter -- maybe my phraseology wasn't on-target; I meant, I harvested the honey from the combs, and now want to place the comb-sporting frames either into the hive whence they came OR use them to populate a medium I'll add to a brood deep (for a swarm I "gathered" a few weeks ago) .... My biggest concern is about the SHBs; bees in a single deep may not be able to patrol a medium of 5-10 frames with lots of empty comb.

Mitch

luckily i don't have shb to worry about. If i did i'd make sure they were out of room and on all frames before giving a new box. most people try and keep honey frames for honey only so they don't get brood debris.