Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => NATURAL & ORGANIC BEEKEEPING METHODS => Topic started by: Billybee on May 08, 2013, 06:01:52 pm

Title: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: Billybee on May 08, 2013, 06:01:52 pm: I do not use foundation (Langstroth). As expected there are times that comb gets out of line, needs to be cut away and rubber banded back into the frames to straighten things out. The biggest problem I have found is that the rubber bands get pulled out too wide by the top bar of the frame (I use the ones from brushy and make my own wedges for starter strip) and subsequently the comb tends to slide to the bottom of the frames where you dont want it to.

My answer to this was to cut 4 grooves on both sides of my frames spaced an inch from either end and 4 inches or so from those grooves. Now I can put any width of comb into a frame anywhere and have it grab and keep the comb in place in the center of the starter strip. See pics for what I have done. I am going to do this to the rest of my frames in stock unless someone has a better way to keep comb in place. I just dialed in the technique on my tablesaw and can get 50 frames done in an hour or so.

Any input on these grooves affecting something else I am not considering do say so.

Bill
(http://s9.postimg.org/4k2kkvw0r/20130508_160112.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/4k2kkvw0r/)

(http://s24.postimg.org/pt8eiqq1t/20130508_160158.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/pt8eiqq1t/)
Title: Re: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: bailey on May 08, 2013, 07:50:50 pm: Looks like it would work to me.
Title: Re: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: Kathyp on May 08, 2013, 08:25:19 pm: looks like it would make saving some of those smaller pieces, easier. they'd be held into the frame better.

i don't see a problem. looks like a better mouse trap to me ;)
Title: Re: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: Steel Tiger on June 19, 2013, 01:27:12 pm: Quote from: Billybee on May 08, 2013, 06:01:52 pm
and subsequently the comb tends to slide to the bottom of the frames where you dont want it to.

I don't really see the difference if the comb is on the top of the frame, or the bottom. I cut a deep size comb in half and rubber band the pieces into medium frames. Both ended up at the bottom of the frame. The frames went into two hives and the bees attached the comb to the sides and bottom and built it up towards the top. One hive has it completed while the other hive seems to be too busy working on building out other frames. It's been a week since I've seen it, today is suppose to be a nice day, maybe I'll go in and take a look.
Title: Re: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: loumaro on June 19, 2013, 02:08:31 pm: It looks to me like it would really weaken the top bar. Is it really necessary?

Louie
Title: Re: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: Solomon Parker on August 09, 2013, 10:03:45 am: Have you heard of Dee Lusby's "swarm ketching frames"? It's a frame split lengthwise and hinged, wired on both sides, so you can put just about any piece of comb in it you want.
Title: Re: Improvement, insanity and or is there already a better way?
Post by: Michael Bush on August 14, 2013, 01:48:41 pm: > I don't really see the difference if the comb is on the top of the frame, or the bottom.

Me neither. Dee's frames hold things in very well and with the least amount of work (once you have built them).