Maybe you can tell beesNme (and me!) how to "fix" the comb. I started with foundation and then started adding empty frames with a strip of wood in the groove. As long as I put them between existing brood frames, they were pretty much straight. But when I added the second box on, they started the first frame ok, I remembered from the previous year that the honey frames were wider, so I pulled them apart. I then noticed they were using the second box for brood - which was a pleasant surprise, for me since they barely made it through the winter. So I then crammed them closer together, but by that time they switched to making honey. So I had the frames beside the brood, they started on the guide stick, but then bowed out. Then, of course, the next frame bowed out more.... It makes it hard pulling frames out. I never did get to look at them all this fall, but did see they had honey and the hive was pretty heavy.
If I catch them when they are starting the comb, I can bend it in, and move the frames. Bending it in has not worked the best for me as the bees seem to think they need to "fix" it back. Spacing the frames appropriately works best if you catch it soon. But if it's half the frame, and already attached to the sides, what should we do to "fix" it? Past experience makes me a little cautious about how fragile the comb is. Almost made me think about giving up, but I realize I'm just learning and I know others have success without foundation. And the bees go so much faster!
And while one could start the brood box with foundation, what about the honey supers? That seems it would be a recurring problem each time you extract and put empty supers back on.