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Author Topic: Drawing foundationless honey frames  (Read 16216 times)

Offline OldMech

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #20 on: June 29, 2015, 08:03:00 pm »
Based upon Doolittle's conclusions, if one uses foundation or drawn combs, at least at certain times, they are wasting resources!   It would be like growing tomatoes and then not picking them.   So conserve resources, don't waste wax, go foundationless! :wink:

   Or at least always make sure they have some foundation to draw when there is a flow in progress.
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline Duane

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #21 on: July 02, 2015, 09:02:11 pm »
Well, I suppose you're right there.

Offline Duane

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #22 on: July 02, 2015, 09:14:31 pm »
I had added a second box, peeked in and couldn't see any comb on the top bars, so took the box off, looked through the bottom box and put it back together.  A few days later I checked and decided to make sure they hadn't started in the top box and found I couldn't pull a frame out.  They had built comb from the bottom up using the edge of the bottom bar!  I must say, previously when I took the top box off, thinking there was no comb in it, I wasn't all that careful with tilting it and setting it down.  Being 90 degrees, the comb had fallen over.  It was almost to the top, but not quite.  I had read they could build up but thought that was just a little bit, not a whole frame.  At first I thought that they couldn't get to the top bars to draw down.  But this is a top entrance hive so they walk right past it all the time.  Maybe different bees draw the comb.  I guess this is where I need to move a frame from the bottom up to the top box.

I'm curious as to whether other foundationless people have experienced the same thing when putting an empty box on top.

Offline Eric Bosworth

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #23 on: July 02, 2015, 10:27:42 pm »
Interesting... I would move a frame up from the bottom.
All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns; that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party. ---Mao Tse Tung

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. ---Benjamin Franklin

Offline OldMech

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #24 on: July 03, 2015, 10:08:48 am »
heh yep, I have had them start at the bottom as well.. I usually cut it off and flatten the top, then stick it to the top of  a frame with some melted wax.  You can also allow them to keep building UPward if you put a rubber band around the frame/comb it wont fall over before they get it attached.
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline Mark Smith

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #25 on: June 17, 2016, 12:09:59 pm »
Started to go foundationless this year. It's amazing to see how fast the size of the bees can change.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Drawing foundationless honey frames
« Reply #26 on: June 17, 2016, 12:43:40 pm »
Mark,
Welcome to Beemaster. Do not know if you noticed but this thread is a year old. This would be a good new topic. To start a new topic, just select the new topic tab under GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM.
Good luck with your bees. Going foundation less will help a lot.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin