Foundationless frames are all drone cells

[rayb]

I have been using foundationless frames for the last few years. I add a few into each brood box. Most of the time the bees draw some worker size and some drone size cells. This year, in one hive, every foundationless frame is being drawn out almost 100% drone. The established frames have nice worker cells and very good worker brood patterns so far.

I know they want a certain percentage of drones but this seems like a lot.

Normal?

Thanks,
Ray

[hardwood]

Totally normal at this time of year. After the drones emerge they will use those large cells for storage. I usually move the drone comb up and to the sides (storage areas) after they're done. You can also cull the comb as part of your mite control (IPM).

Scott

[FRAMEshift]

It's great when they make an entire frame of drone comb.  Just pop them in the freezer to kill the mites (and the drones).  Then put them back in the brood nest as a mite trap.  Saves the bees the effort of drawing more drone comb.  After the drone season, move them to the honey section of the hive and they get used a third time.  That's pretty efficient use of comb.

[beyondthesidewalks]

I once had a shortage of deep frames and in a pinch put a medium frame in a hive as a place keeper.  This was in the spring.  When I pulled it out to replace it the bees had drawn comb on the bottom of the frame and it was all drone comb.  I just cut it off and stuck it in the solar wax melter, killing the drone brood and varroa mites.  I repeated it later that spring.  I have intended to follow through and try using this as an IPM approach to control varroa but, lacking a round tuit, never have.  I imagine it would work really well unless other bees didn't do the same.

[FRAMEshift]

When I pulled it out to replace it the bees had drawn comb on the bottom of the frame and it was all drone comb.  I just cut it off

 I have intended to follow through and try using this as an IPM approach to control varroa

Bjornbee has used this technique.  It's not quite as efficient with wax as freezing whole frames of drone comb but it is a lot faster and probably more reproducible (you can't guarantee that the bees will draw full frames of drone comb unless you use plastic comb in drone size). 

[Michael Bush]

15 to 25% is normal.  That's 1 in 4... they will stop when they reach their threshold.

[beyondthesidewalks]

If you keep removing them does that reset the threshold?

[Michael Bush]

>If you keep removing them does that reset the threshold?

The threshold is not what they have built but what they have on hand.  So they will have to replace whatever you remove.

[ShaneJ]

When they finish producing enough drones, will they use the comb for worker brood or honey?

[Michael Bush]

If you move it to the outside it gets backfilled with honey more reliably than if you leave an entire frame of drone in the middle of the brood nest but it gets filled with honey.  The queen cannot lay worker eggs in drone cells.  Huber made many attempts to get queens to lay workers in them and failed.  Apparently the switch that causes her to fertilize the eggs gets thrown by the cell size.

[ShaneJ]

Thanks for the info mate.