Bees filling frames from top and back

You’re a fast learner…I’m a slow learner…spent many years scraping off any drone comb on the bottom of brood frames when both I and the bees could of had their way…i.e. simply by adding outside drone frames. The bees don’t appear to even want to build drone comb on the bottom bar of the frames…and now I’m not “rolling” queens when I pull out brood frames.

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actually I woudn’t really have learned anything- if you hadn’t actually mentioned it is a deliberate strategy. Now you mention it: that hive had a lot less burr comb this year then previously… It sounds like a good plan. I generally try to add a few fresh frames at the beginning of spring- but mostly foundation frames. Using a foundationless one was just me being lazy… From now on I might try keeping one dedicated foundationless frame in each brood box. thanks for the heads up!

EDIT: it’s actually funny- my brother is a big believer in foundation- and avoiding drone comb. When I put that foundationless in- and then we saw how the bees made it 90% drone cell- he was all like, “see? no good”… little did he know… We both noted how there was solid capped worker brood right across the box- and then all of a sudden one frame with all the drone concentrated.

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