Drawn comb

[Woody Roberts]

It took a few years but I eventually came to realize the value of drawn comb. Splits build up faster, bees put up more honey,etc.
Since I have a homemade extractor now it's not such a problem with established hives but I'm always starting new ones that could benefit from a few frames.

Like most of us I can get lots of comb drawn in the spring but not much any other time of the year. This year I'm thinking about an experiment.
Toward the end of the flow with one capped super on the hive. Take every other frame and move to a box above the inner cover. Scratch the cappings loose.

Would they draw out these empty foundationless frames to move this back into the hive or would they just backfill the brood nest. Perhaps I'll find out.

Lauri Miller posted on Beesource a method she has used to get comb drawn but I haven't tried it yet. Maybe this year I will. It uses swarm mentality so I'm sure it would work. Besides if Lauri says it works I would take it to the bank.
The thread is titled.  I'm exhausted, sticky and dirty     Post #15

What youn's think?

[brooksbeefarm]

I think they will move the honey down below the inner cover Woody, if i understand you right? Jack

[Woody Roberts]

I think they will move the honey down below the inner cover Woody, if i understand you right? Jack

Yes, but will they draw new comb to put it in or just tuck it where they can?

[brooksbeefarm]

I'm probably wrong? but i think the inner cover would act like a barrier to them? Might be worth a try? Jack

[Woody Roberts]

Well, I know I can set wet, extracted frames above the inner cover and get them cleaned completely up.

Back in my crush and strain days I'd thought about just setting a frame out somewhere to be robbed out just to get a few frames of drawn comb.

[blueblood]

Much value in drawn comb for sure.  I remember the lack of it my first year and was bummed that all I had was blank foundation.  I discovered this season already the benefit of frames of capped honey I saved.  I have used one to feed a cut out already.  It's so nice to have them.

[brooksbeefarm]

Woody, i make my own top feeders with a top entrance under them (3/8in.x 3/4in.) and leave them on year round. There have been times that i didn't get supers on in time and had them build comb in them? So take my opinion with a grain of salt. Jack

[Woody Roberts]

I got my first lesson last year. I had built me a homemade extractor that would work on deep frames. The first frames I tried blew out. So I just crushed and strained them. After some modification to the extractor I started on the hive next to them. Worked fine. The main flow was over but in the next few weeks the bees with empty comb would fill them, I'd extract, they would fill them again.

All said the bees with comb put up an extra 8 deep frames of honey. The near identical hive that I crush and strained never built the comb back.

If I had it to do over I would have moved half of the empty frames over to them.

[Slowmodem]

It's my understanding that for every  pound of comb the bees make, they could have made 10 pounds of honey.  Drawn comb is like money in the bank.

[Woody Roberts]

It's my understanding that for every  pound of comb the bees make, they could have made 10 pounds of honey.  Drawn comb is like money in the bank.

I've heard this but have some questions about it. For one a lb of comb will hold a lot of honey. One of the things I was curious about with my experiment was if they moved 5 combs of honey down how many frames would they draw to put it in. 3?  4? I dunno.

One thing I know. If there's a flow and they need comb they can build it fast. If they don't feel they need it well good luck getting them to draw it.

I've tried explaining that I need them to build this so I can give it to other bees but they don't seem to care.
They must be conservative's 

[Slowmodem]

I've tried explaining that I need them to build this so I can give it to other bees but they don't seem to care.

I get that from my wife a lot, too.