lazy shooter, I might not be in that bad of a dearth, just going with what I've been told.
How can I know for sure ( is there a way to tell)
When you place frames with new foundation back in the hive, bees will only build comb during a flow (or, if they are taking your sugar syrup)
and when they need the space.
Look for white wax on foundation and tacked onto the ends of drawn cells. New, white wax tells you there is a flow on. No matter how small the flow is, nectar or sugar syrup, white wax tells you a flow is on. The first white wax in spring is a welcome sign that a spring flow is on, keep an eye out for the first appearance of that white wax, swarm season is around the corner.
If your brood nest needs to be a little larger, you can place the new frames with foundation on each side of the brood nest. This way, bees will build comb on the foundation, ("draw it out"), and use the new cells for whatever purpose they need.... when they need it. This placement of empty frames on the sides of the brood nest is called, "Expanding the brood nest." In this way, space is provided for the queen to lay if the brood nest is getting honey bound. Done early enough in the spring cycle it can delay, sometimes prevent swarming.
Your frames full of honey can be frozen to kill eggs and larvae, stored properly, and used during winter if needed, or, used to make up NUCs in spring. If the frames are full of honey and are not needed for winter food or NUCs, you can extract them in spring. Lots of ways to manage your bees. HTH
