>>> The brood looks much healthier than in the older comb .....<><> Could you elucidate on how the brood looks better? Mike in LA The newly drawn natural (foundation-free) combs are solid with brood which, when sealed, has very few empty cells. Diverging onto the use of foundation: imagine a team of workers (human bricklayers!) building a wall, working from both sides. Then, if somebody puts a rigid opaque plastic sheet between them, how do they cooperate as well as a team? The bees work in the opposite direction, from top down, using their united bodies as a plumb line and adjust the cell size in accordance with the family's anticipated needs: larger cells towards the outside so they can be used either for stores or for brood efficiently; smaller towards the centre in order to rear more babies in a tight pack when the weather is colder and they need to cluster to keep them warm. Give going foundation-free a try and see how it works for YOUR bees. Two things to bear in mind: the hive should be level and they need some initial guidance with a starter strip or a footprint of old comb. If you put the frame between drawn ones there should be no problem with cross combing. Chris *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html