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Author Topic: too late to get drawn comb in central TX?  (Read 965 times)

Offline retsofmit

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too late to get drawn comb in central TX?
« on: September 11, 2020, 03:38:54 pm »
Howdy!

New to keeping bees and I know I have done some newbie mistakes.  I started with only one hive, stopped feeding my new nuc when I saw they were building up nicely and nectar was coming in and all....you know...about the time it dried up and got hot!!

Any how, that set my bees back a bit but I did start feeding and they are growing in population again since the end of July first of august.  However, I don't really have much drawn comb.  I want to get more for next spring and I am wondering if it is too late in the season to open the brood nest by putting some empty frames in it?....take out some a honey frame or two and see if I can get any more of my foundation drawn. 

I think I know the answer, but thought I would ask folks down here in central TX.  We still have a lot of time in the 90s....so share your thoughts.  Be gentle though!

Thanks!

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: too late to get drawn comb in central TX?
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2020, 06:36:54 pm »
Welcome to Beemaster.
If the weather is warm and there is a nectar flow or you are feeding them, you can open up a frame space in the brood to get them to build comb. If it were cooler weather I would put the empty frame next to the brood.
Jim Altmiller
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Offline Oldbeavo

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Re: too late to get drawn comb in central TX?
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2020, 06:59:43 pm »
Just to put another slant on drawing comb, if you don't need it this season and there is a risk they may not draw it properly then don't.
If you have a good nectar flow now and they will fill and cap the new frames then OK.
The bees will draw comb very quickly in a Spring flow when there is a panic to store honey. We have found that the difference between drawn frames and new frames is about 3-4 days in filling the super in a good flow. The new frames tend not to have the same amount of honey in first drawing.
Undrawn frames are much safer to store, wax moth, than frames that are stickies or brood frames or have pollen in them.