Same Old Story!

I think I am about to adopt the “take what you get and don’t worry about it in the mean time” approach to these two hives. Still have not found eggs or queen but to be honest I didn’t really search for the queen but did really work hard at trying to spot eggs in the bottom of cells. What I did find was a LOT of honey filled cells and a lot of larva and even some breaking out of cells. It was really neat to see their little heads moving and trying to free themselves from the capped cells.

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Heavens, it looks like you might have some creative problems there on that frame

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I agree @Dee. I found the same on some black plastic (wax-coated) foundation in my installed nucleus last week. It was the outer frame, and believe it or not, there were eggs in the creativity, up against the outer wall! This may well end my plastic foundation experiment…

I’d be concerned with the frame spacing in the box for the above photo. The box looks like it would go close to holding 9 frames.

I was thinking I should put a follower/dummy board in, but I haven’t needed that in the past, and my other hive isn’t doing it with wax foundation. Just an interesting experiment, I guess.

They don’t seem to like that plastic foundation.

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I think the amount of burr comb off the wooden frame to the side of the box in the second photo looks like a spacing issue, plastic frames aside.

Yes, I agree, the spacing IS an issue. I’d have a 3mm gap all round. 3mm from the sides & 3mm between each frame. You have a bit of a wedge shaped gap right in the middle that is less than ideal. If you get the spacing right at the start, it will be easy next time because the bees put propolis around the lugs, making it easy when returning the frames.

The bees don’t like plastic, however, with a lit of patience, the bees eventually use it. With that frame, I’d scrape a lot of that wax off, leaving only the properly built sections & try again with it.

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I’m sure that was me being careless about putting the frames back after inspecting. I didn’t think it would matter much since they are all brood boxes. That frame is / was on the outside next to the wall when inspecting last week and moved to the opposite outside placement next to the wall this time. It will be difficult to do any scrapping with the bees on there but should I try to scrap off all that is in between the frames that prevents them from closing tightly together? I do listen to ya’ll you know…no roof will be built over my apiary. But if I was a bee I would want a roof and I wouldn’t want no smoke puffed on me. lol

Chet,

Wow ! Cool comb … The “Girls” are getting creative ! I have black foundation in one of mine 10 frame Langstroth n no issues or problem at all. I do carefully but firmly push all the shoulders of my frames tightly together n leave extra gap at equally at each wall. My girls (knock on wood as mom use to say) haven’t built me any attic or creative frame combs yet. Guessing I maybe lucky ! :smiley:. I’d just push frames tight together n carefully center the 8 or 10 frames n see how that does Chet ! I think Dawn, Dee n Jeff highlighted on that too. Good luck bro. Gerald . P.S. I’m using black on my newly aquired swarm too because it’s what I had. See if they are creative next Monday Hive Inspection … That will be my first week inspect on the new girls.

Hi Chet, that’s what I would do, just remove the comb that prevents you from closing the frames up. You want all the comb on that frame to end up as worker comb, remove anything that you think will prevent the bees from achieving that. Good luck, cheers

I’d scrape that down and put them tight together in the middle.

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