Comb between frames in different chambers is called bridge comb. Bees build it to ease their travel up and down. The only time I scrape it off is in extracting supers. The bees will just rebuild it anyway.
wax comb between the bottom and top side of frames
today i opened the hive and found 1 frame from the upper chamber stuck to a frame from the lower chamber. The bees have made a comb in between. is this usual? or this indicates that the distances between frames is large?
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i got a couple of nucs that done that. i put a 4 frame super over the 5 frame nuc and the frames were off set to to the frames in the lower box they built comb from the bottom of the frames in the top box down between the frames in the lower box. i fixed it by only use 5 over 5 or 4 over 4
so this can happen in any hive or it indicates that the distance between top and bottom frame is large and thus have enough space to build comb - if i decrease the distance would they stop doing this?Comb between frames in different chambers is called bridge comb. Bees build it to ease their travel up and down. The only time I scrape it off is in extracting supers. The bees will just rebuild it anyway.
Mismatched boxes and/or frames is a PIA. I have a few where the dado where the frames rest are slightly deeper than others and when I mismatch these boxes with all of my others I get this. It may have to do with this element of the boxes along with the different size end lugs that manufacturers put on their frames. I have frames from who knows how many manufacturers and the lugs vary from a light 1/2" to a full 5/8". Some boxes/frames are for a flush on the bottom design and some are for a flush at the top design. Mix these up and there is enough room for the bees to build comb.
I've gotten tired of worrying about it and now when it happens I just yank hard to get the equipment apart. I tend to then remove the comb on the bottom and tops of the frames but only because if I don't I'l crush gobs of bees putting it all back.
It isn't always easy to make sure all the dimensions of the wooden ware is compatible IMO. This conflict doesn't happen very often BTW.
I've gotten tired of worrying about it and now when it happens I just yank hard to get the equipment apart. I tend to then remove the comb on the bottom and tops of the frames but only because if I don't I'l crush gobs of bees putting it all back.
It isn't always easy to make sure all the dimensions of the wooden ware is compatible IMO. This conflict doesn't happen very often BTW.
BeeMT, get used to this, prising things apart is why we have hive tools.
The langstroth hive is designed around the "bee space", a space too small for comb building but too large for propolising. Many gaps between frames, ie, above, below, and to the side, are this bee space, so that things are not totally gummed up.
However in a hive that uses comb foundation, there is not as much drone comb as the bees want. A place bees can squeeze some in is the gap between the boxes, if you have a look at the comb it will be drone comb and the bees will eventually raise drones in it. In natural comb hives this happens much less, the bees already have the right amount of drone comb, and natural comb hive boxes are much easier to prise apart.
The other thing is as Vance says, in places where bees have to move across gaps they tend to build something there to ease their way.
Some beekeepers scrape all this off every time they go into the hive, which means the bees have to waste their time building it again. Best plan is learn to live with it, but if any is really in the way and a nuisance, scrape it off, in the hope that next time around the bees may build it slightly different so it will not be a nuisance.
The bee space holds true mostly, but bees will fill it if they need a walkway or somewhere for drone comb.
The langstroth hive is designed around the "bee space", a space too small for comb building but too large for propolising. Many gaps between frames, ie, above, below, and to the side, are this bee space, so that things are not totally gummed up.
However in a hive that uses comb foundation, there is not as much drone comb as the bees want. A place bees can squeeze some in is the gap between the boxes, if you have a look at the comb it will be drone comb and the bees will eventually raise drones in it. In natural comb hives this happens much less, the bees already have the right amount of drone comb, and natural comb hive boxes are much easier to prise apart.
The other thing is as Vance says, in places where bees have to move across gaps they tend to build something there to ease their way.
Some beekeepers scrape all this off every time they go into the hive, which means the bees have to waste their time building it again. Best plan is learn to live with it, but if any is really in the way and a nuisance, scrape it off, in the hope that next time around the bees may build it slightly different so it will not be a nuisance.
The bee space holds true mostly, but bees will fill it if they need a walkway or somewhere for drone comb.
I believe it was C.C.Miller in 50 years among the bees that stated he reduced the beespace between boxes to 5/16" to reduce or stop comb building between the boxes for his bass wood section comb supers. Perhaps the 3/8" beespace that we use is not entirely correct.
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