For the last few years, I have placed Bait Hives at 4 locations within a 4 mile radius. Each hive consists of a brood box, an empty frame of comb which has been used to raise several rounds of brood, 2 frames of foundation and an LGO tissue. The hive host usually contacts me to say a swarm has arrived and I remove the hive within a couple of days. The hive goes to my home where I add frames of foundation to contain the building urge.
This year, on a couple of hives, this has not happened. I have ended up with up to 3 (almost full) sheets of wild thicker comb hanging from the inner cover in the void in the BB. I tried using rubber bands to transfer the comb into empty frames but it was a messy job. The comb was soft, mis-shaped and the bees chewed through the bands. I still have one bait hive with comb to tackle.
Anybody got any tips about dealing with this wild comb ?
In future years, I could set up the traps and fill the voids with frames of foundation. I have a couple of reservations about such a set up. Would the scout bees still be able to measure the inside size of the box ? Would the wax foundation loose its attraction when exposed to the air for several weeks ?
Any thoughts or comments ?