Can you buy frames with real bee's drawn Comb? and if so were from?

Modifications & Building Bee Hives
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Just wanted to know if it possible to buy already drawn comb?

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I wouldn’t do that, even if. There’s a risk of getting some sort of disease with that.

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Right, didn’t think about that.

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When you buy a nucleus hive, you are buying up to 5 drawn frames with a queen, thousands of workers, honey, pollen, and brood.

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Hi @Anon flow hive all together with tung oil on it picking up Nuc next week can’t wait, I was going to use the box from the nuc to catch a swarm if needed to speed up the hive production, Is this a good idea anyone?

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Uh oh, looks like we have another addict in the making! :smile:

Sounds OK, as long as you have a plan. How are you going to find the swarm queen? Or are you willing to let your nuc queen duke it out with the swarmer? How are you going to merge them? You can’t just dump them in the hive with your nuc - you need a barrier to slow down the contact, like multiple sheets of newspaper.

Because I am greedy with bees, I would go for the swarm catcher, but if I got one, I would probably set up another hive, and judge the nature of the bees for a while. If they were mean, at least I haven’t put mean bees in my hive which I have to live with for 6 weeks while they die off. Instead I have one nice gentle nuc, and a mean swarm which I can requeen and then largely ignore it until they calm down. Just my preference, but I don’t like mean bees and there are plenty of those around here… :astonished:

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As I rotate out the old wax comb in favor of new I spray the combs with BT, let them dry, and place one or two in an old hive body or nuc box to lure a swarm. Swarms love old comb.

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What is BT?
This whole catch-a-swarm thing is funny for me. Here in Germany we don’t have wild/native honeybees (anymore). All swarms come from “domestic” hives, where the bee keeper failed in controlling their swarm mood…

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It was just a idea, but you may be right I haven’t thought this through… one thing that I’m learning from you all that this take a lot of patience.

It’s better to follow you all instruction, you all are more experience with the beekeeping.:wink:

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Hi Zab, if I was going to try & lure a swarm, I’d use a box much bigger than a nuc box. I’d probably make a box with inside dimensions twice as big as a deep hive body.

When making a lure you need to make it big enough to attract a large swarm. A nuc box will only attract a small swarm.

You have to remember that the scouts of the swarm are looking for a home that will, among other things, accommodate the swarm itself as well as room to expand the colony into.

Once you catch your swarm, you’ll get plenty of advice on here as to what to do with it.

Good luck with your bees, bye for now:)

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Here is a pic of my flow hive: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208992320108053&set=pcb.10208992320268057&type=3

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I agree with JeffH. All of my swarm captures were in 5 over 5 nuc boxes (double).