Combs built outside of frames

[WantToBeeLady]

When I inspected the hive today it was pretty messy with combs built on the sides and top of lid.  There were at least two to three frames all stuck together with combs.  I scraped the stuff off the lid just so I could put it back on.  How much do I scrape off and where?
9

[Chip Euliss]

How many frames per box?  If 10, it sounds like the bees need an extra box since they usually don't build comb between the frames and the lid till the frames in the main box are full.  If you don't have all the frames drawn, you might check the spacing between the frames.  You can run as few as 8 frames but they need to be drawn comb.  When you are drawing comb, use 10 frames for the best result.  If you give them too much space, they can be pretty creative.  You may just have a little bridge comb holding the frames together.  If conditions aren't just right (i.e., a good nectar flow) for drawing comb, they will start comb sideways to bridge the frames.  If that's what you have, just scrape it out as clean as possible and let the bees try again.  If you feed them 1:1, or even thinner, it will encourage them to draw comb so feed if they aren't bringing in much nectar.

[apisbees]

are you using foundation or going foundation-less. the frames do need to be tight together when first drawing out comb.

[riverbee]

tell us your hive/frame set up.........can help better in answering your question. as apis asked.....foundation or foundation-less? 

are the frames drawn?

chip's reply..........what chip said, he is right on. 
i don't run 10 frames in a brood box, i run 9.  i run 8 frames in honey supers rather than 9 or 10. sometimes in either, if i don't space the frames correctly or if i scrape off a portion of a frame, as chip said the bees get creative and will build bridge comb; sometimes they build bridge comb on the end frames to the wall of the hive, and sometimes when everything is the way its supposed to be the bees will build bridge comb between frames anyway............

all of my frames are drawn comb. if i find comb being built underneath the inner cover, this would be a sign to add another box/super. 

scrape what you need to off the underside of the inner cover to put it back on, scrape/cut what you need of the bridge comb to correctly space frames.  the bees will repair what you cut/scraped.  sometimes i leave some of the wax on the underneath side of the inner cover, (long as i can close it back down)  the bees will sometimes re purpose this wax elsewhere in the hive.

[WantToBeeLady]

I started this hive from a five frame nuc, then I placed three on one side and two on the other of empty foundation frames. So it's a ten frame hive. Only a few of the new frames have anything on it. One of the new frames is loaded with capped brood, then nectar around that. So I think they are building on the new frames and everywhere else too. The comb that I scraped off yesterday has already been repurposed. Funny because I scraped the comb onto a log outside the hive, guess it didn't belong there.

I'll go out to the hive today to clean things up. Haven't been looking too hard for the queen, with all the brood I've seen I know she's in there and busy.

But now that I'm going to be moving the frames around a lot I'll try to spot her so that she doesn't get squashed.

[iddee]

Each time you finish, push all frames tightly together and center in the box. It will reduce the burr combs a lot.

[Chip Euliss]

Many years ago, I bought some frames for 7 5/8 supers from Jim Pazen.  He had the only all plastic frame and I don't recall any others who offered them.  They were unwaxed and I'd drawn them out many times before but that particular batch would never work as all the previous ones had--lots of bur comb, unfinished comb, etc.--a real mess.  After I talked with Jim, it turned out the release agent they used when making the frames was to blame.  I coated those frames with a little wax from the hives and that solved the problem.  If your bees continue to be creative with those frames, you might try cleaning them off good (pressure washer works well) and dipping them in hot wax.  Keep the frames tight together and feed them 1:1 sugar syrup until they draw it out the right way.  You can even make a lighter syrup--your goal is to provide so much syrup that the bees have to make a place to put it

[WantToBeeLady]

I've been feeding them a 1:1 mix, but they aren't really emptying the jars. There is a lot of traffic going in and out of the hive.  So I'll continue to feed them, but I think they must have found a food source outside of the hive that they like better than what I'm feeding them. 

Thanks for all your help.  I am not as nervous and that goes a long way with the cooperation factor. And thanks for making me feel welcome