Allen, I don't produce nearly as much comb honey as you used to, but I agree
that it is an "old wives tale" that a given hive will produce less comb
honey than extracted honey.  I think that theory had its genesis in the
thought that production of wax (for the combs) detracted from production of
honey.  As far as I know, that has been proved to be incorrect.
I have also observed that a comb honey hive will produce more if the supers
contained sealed honey are removed and replaced with supers of foundation.
There seems to be some mechanism operating that says to the bees "that's
enough" (concerning honey stored above brood) or "there's more space so we
should store more".  Of course, there is more reason than extra production
to get filled supers off comb honey hives as soon as possible.
 
Lloyd
-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, February 20, 1998 9:08 AM
Subject: Empty Comb Stimulus
 
 
> Another interesting thing is that it has been scientifically proven that
> the foraging urge of bees is in direct relation to the amount of empty
> comb available to the bees. (within reason)
 
I've read some on this -- and yet I find this to be a generality that I
have trouble understanding.  I don't doubt its truth, I just wonder about
its universality.
 
I used to produce a lot of comb honey.  Books always say the honey crop
will be reduced on comb production, yet we did not find this effect to be
as obvious as expected, and often felt we got got comparable poundage
yields between extracted hives and comb hives.  The comb hives were
crowded and on foundation, the extracted hives were on ample drawn comb
-- usually 6 standard boxes or more.
 
The time the above quoted principle seems to apply best is in late spring
and early summer.  Not only does the extra comb prevent swarming to some
extent and allow room for sudden flows that are unexpected by a beekeeper,
but there does actually seem to be a stimulant effect on bee buildup.
 
We seem to get more honey late in the season if we reduce the number of
supers a bit. There is an offsetting effect that becomes more noticeable
in the late summer in temperate regions: if the amount of  space
above the brood nest is excessive, the bees withdraw to the brood section
-- especially if excluders are used, and are unable to occupy the entire
hive.
 
If bees are unable to continuously occupy an area of a hive they seem
reluctant to fill it permanently with honey.  This is one reason
why controlled crowding is important to getting comb honey built. This is
also why top ventillation can result in reduced crops if not applied
wisely at the correct time in the year, if at all.
 
This above also explains why it is wise to remove the crop at least once
during the season, so that the total volume of the hive can be less than
if full supers are left on while still having empty comb near the brood
area to stimulate activity.
 
After August 8 here in Southern Alberta, we usually restrict all but the
largest hives to 4 standard boxes, including broods.  Of course that means
visits must be made regularly to forestall plugging in exceptional hives.
 
Comments?
 
Allen
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