Date sent:              Fri, 28 Mar 2003 22:20:53 EST
Send reply to:          Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues
and Bee Biology
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From:                   [log in to unmask]
Subject:                Re: [BEE-L] Plastic foundation not drawn out
To:                     [log in to unmask]

> However, while I was giving
> these talks and teaching, I was constantly dumbfounded by the vast number
> of beekeepers (beeHAVERS) that did not understand that bees MUST HAVE
> A
> NECTAR FLOW OR ARTIFICIAL NECTAR FLOW OF 1:1 SUGAR SYRUP to
> make them
> build comb!


   We made 11  5-frame nucs about ten days ago, and put them into
the beekeeper's hives, which he had delivered earlier. He had
included 4 frames of Pierco foundation and a feeder. We had
planned to feed them when we unloaded them, but it was very late
and we were exhausted, so it got put off. Well the next day it rained,
then the next, then we were busy...well you know the rest. Day
before yesterday I checked them for queen acceptance and realized
that we had not yet fed them. Unfortunately during the interim, they
had built quite a bit of bridge comb, rather than draw out the
foundation. I had to take quite a bit of time to scrape all that off, and,
of course finally feed them. Now they are drawing comb nicely.

   It's just one example of what happens when forgetting George's
simple rule. They MUST have a nectar flow to draw foundation,
even if it's a "flow by Dixie Crystal," as we say in the South....

   And when you reduce the size of the hive, AKA making nucs, you
reduce the flow, because you reduce the field force. If you expect a
nuc (or even more so, a package) to draw foundation, you should
expect to feed, even during a good flow, until the comb is drawn.

   With whole hives, in the early spring, they get sporadic flows, and
you sometimes see a nice strong hive that has quite a bit of nectar,
but NO capped feed. What you have to remember, in assessing the
needs of the hive is that any *uncapped reserve* is no reserve at all.
A week of rainy weather can kill this hive, because uncapped nectar
is used very quickly when the bees are building. If I can't find a
frame of capped honey to give them, they've gotta have some syrup
in the feeder. Whether it's early spring buildup, or during a summer
drought, the bees must NEVER run out of capped honey. The best
of good intentions to feed them, will never equal an actual feeding.

   Fortunately it was plastic rather than wired or Duragilt, which
would have been ruined by removing the bridge combs. I fought the
use of plastic foundation for a long time, but the ease of fixing badly
drawn comb is one of the points that has now convinced me. I still
prefer wooden frames for my own bees, but Pierco negates the
labor cost of assembling frames, so it is becoming the standard in
commercial outfits.

Dave Green    SC  USA
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com

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