Author Topic: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!  (Read 2957 times)

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Offline 40 Acre Bees

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Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« on: June 08, 2017, 05:43:39 pm »
My honey supers have been on for at-least 3 weeks now and the bees are refusing to draw any comb.  It is wax coated shallow foundation and they really seem to have no interest.  They are using the top entrance and they have to travel right over it to get to the bottom deeps.  Is there a simple trick to encourage them to start drawing comb so we can have some honey this year.  All four hives seem to be ignoring it.  Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have.

Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2017, 07:03:43 pm »
40, I've watched the last 2 yrs. if they are not in a hot flow. It's hard,  i have 4 supers they have not drawn yet.

Offline beeyhz

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2017, 08:05:00 pm »
Hello 40,  same thing, 2 weeks and absolutely nothing...lazy Nova Scotia bees.  Do you have a queen excluder on?  I do and was thinking of taking it off to get them started.


Offline 40 Acre Bees

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2017, 08:14:29 pm »
No I have never used one, but I was also told never to use them when you are trying to get the bees to draw comb. :yes:

Offline CBT

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2017, 09:01:46 pm »
You drop to one honey super and spray a lite syrup and honey bee healthy type product on a frame or two.

Offline Perry

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2017, 09:12:23 pm »
40 Acre Bees is absolutely right, bees will not go through an excluder if all that's on the other side is foundation. Remove the excluder and let them get some comb drawn up there before putting it back on.
Bees will really only draw comb during a flow.
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."      
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Offline Green bee

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2017, 10:51:25 pm »
You drop to one honey super and spray a lite syrup and honey bee healthy type product on a frame or two.
     Does this really work CBT ... I can assume you've tried this in the past. I think I'll give it a try myself.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

Offline Lburou

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2017, 11:27:08 pm »
Bees won't draw foundation until they need space.  You can feed them, and if the stars are aligned, they will draw comb for you.  :)
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Offline 40 Acre Bees

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2017, 02:25:17 pm »
I was doing a little bit of Googling on Google and found a number of people that have good results by brushing extra wax onto the plastic foundation.  Has anyone ever tried this.  I have the wax, I have the time, but will it encourage them?  Thanks again for every ones input :yes: :yes:

Offline Perry

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2017, 03:19:30 pm »
I doubt that it would hurt, and all it would cost is a bit of time.
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Offline 40 Acre Bees

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2017, 09:36:22 am »
Well I just re-waxed 40 frames of my waxed foundation and hopefully the bees will start drawing on that.  Didn't take a long time so it it works it will certainly be time well spent.  Also a good use for some old dark wax I had from my solar melter last year. :yes:

Offline Sour Kraut

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #11 on: June 10, 2017, 02:34:19 pm »
I've had terrible 'luck' ( a.k.a. problems ) getting them to draw on the wax-coated plastic ('Plasticell' is one name for it.) foundation, even in deeps, with a real heavy flow on......supers..forget it.

I've gone back to real wax foundation, vertically wired in supers.

I'm working on a plan to dis-assemble the 'Plasticell' frames (grooved top and bottom bars) by pulling the top staples, and making a saw cut to free up a wedge for holding 'real' foundation, then re-assembling.


Offline Newbee

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Re: Encourage Lazy Bees to Draw Comb!!!!
« Reply #12 on: June 11, 2017, 08:12:01 pm »
40 Acre Bees is absolutely right, bees will not go through an excluder if all that's on the other side is foundation. Remove the excluder and let them get some comb drawn up there before putting it back on.
Bees will really only draw comb during a flow.

THanks for the tip!
Was struggling w/ the same question myself after this weekends inspection (super's been on several weeks, no comb!)

- K