Hi all

I have been following this thread for some time.
I am often confused by the differences between American beekeeping practices
and those that I am used to in the UK.

It seems strange to me to expect to draw a full box of comb, from
foundation, all in one go.
I am also fairly sure that few beekeepers in the UK would invest in feeding
a colony for a complete season in order to do so.

Generally we start a colony as a nuc, a captured swarm, an "artificial"
swarm or sometimes a "Taronov" swarm (there are practically no "package
bees" in UK).

Such small colonies only occupy two - five frames and are usually given a
couple of drawn frames to expand onto and/or a couple of frames with
foundation on the outside of them.

Our British boxes take eleven frames with space for a thin dummy which means
that our newly formed colony does not fill the box. We mostly install our
original nuc centrally in the box and place division boards either side of
the outer frames that contain the foundation.

I have some division boards made from "skinned polyeurathane foam" which are
light, flat and have a high insulation value.

As nectar comes in variable quantities our bees develop according to the
resources available to them. (a few also feed syrup during this
developement, I personally do not) additional frames with foundation are
given as needed until the box is full.

By using the division boards the new combs are built with even, flat faces
but if drone cells are drawn these may be left (the bees know best, and
drones are much more important than most beekeepers give them credit for).

The division boards are called "follower boards" by some.

I am not suggesting that either method is "right" or "wrong" to me they are
both valid in the circumstances and weather pertaining in the region.

Regards From:- Dave Cushman, G8MZY
Beekeeping and Bee Breeding, http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman
IBList Archives, http://website.lineone.net/~d.cushman