THE FREE BUILDING FRAME 

BY A. L. COURTOIS AND R. FRAMPTON  

This is a system of control and enables the mood and intentions of the bees in a hive to be read in advance and the necessary controls or manipulations to be exercised in order to retain the productivity of the colony. It is possible to know a week or more in advance of the bees intention to swarm and also to know if sufficient food is available. In fact, to the beekeeper who takes the trouble to learn the language of the bees, he is able in the space of one minute to ascertain exactly what is going on, or is going to go on, in a hive. This system has been used extensively in Europe for many years and all of the following rules have been proved many times by experts and are infallible when interpreted correctly. This system is being introduced to my apiaries and I hope also to yours and together we may discover by discussion if all of the rule of this system apply to our bees.  

Basically, the idea is to place in the brood nest a frame, wired and· with a small strip of foundation of 1/2" in width across the top, or prepared with molten wax, which is better as bees may wish to build drone cells and foundation is worker cell size whereupon bees will destroy foundation to build drone cells. The frame should be marked on the top bar with a drawing pin; not with paint, as the frame may be used elsewhere at a latter stage and the paint will then confuse the operator whereas the drawing pin is simply removed . 

The strip of wax in the centre of the top bar will ensure that the bees build correctly. To make this wax strip. you require molten wax, one. paint brush of 1/2" width and a wooden form made of two pieces of wood slightly shorter than the inside of the top bar in length. One piece of wood must be 1" x 1/2" in width and one piece must be 1/2" square. They must be nailed together to form an L shape, so that, when placed along the top bar of a brood frame, the edge of the form runs in the centre of the frame. 

The wooden form is then soaked in water, placed in position and molten wax painted on to cover the one half of the top bar exposed, and the side of the wooden form. The wooden form is then removed and the job is completed. 

If the building frame is placed always in the same position in each hive, the drawing pin may be omitted and experience has shown that the best position is the third frame from the side, ensuring that the existing brood is moved if necessary to adjoin the building frame i.e. 4th, 5th frames and so on. 

To facilitate easy withdrawal of the building frame and to obviate clumsy handling, thus annoying the bees and possibly harming the Queen, it is suggested that vaseline be applied to the building frame. 

Now for the practical use of the Free Building frame. 

For the bees to start building, four conditions are necessary: 

1) the outside temperature should be at least +/- 80 F. 

2) Sufficient bees must be present in relation to the size of the hive to be able to raise inside temperatures to encourage wax production in wax secreting bees. 

3) Stores of honey, or sugar syrup, must be present, or incoming nectar in surplus to daily needs is required. 

4) A queen must be present. 

So, if the Free Building Frame is ignored by the bees, you know immediately one or more of the above conditions is lacking. i.e. 

Insufficient bees 

Insufficient warmth 

Insufficient food or no queen. 

When the above four requirements are met, the bees will start building on the building frame and four types of cell may be built. It is from these cells that the experienced beekeeper will be able to read what is going on in his hive. As we know, the four cells are worker cells, drone cells, connecting cells and queen cells. 

THE LANGUAGE OF THE BEES. 

When we examine our building frame and find no building taking place, we know as already explained one or more of the four basic requirements is lacking. Assistance in food can be given or a queen introduced. 

If we find worker cells are being built we know all is well and no action is required. 

If we find drone cells only swarming is contemplated and the bees will build the first Queen cells on this frame, thus it is not necessary to check the entire hive for Queen Cells. They will be on the building frame. 

If we find that after building drone cellI the bees restart building worker cells, all is wen and no action is necessary. 

If drone cells on the building frame after brood has hatched, are used for storage, if other storage is available, the swarming tendency has diminished. 

If building on the building frame suddenly stops, this means lack of food, illness or the Queen is injured, killed or has disappeared, ora sudden severe drop in outside temperature, or a sudden stop to the nectar flow. 

If the comb on the frame is finished off by rounding, remove the frame and place another frame in position, and check after twenty four hours. If no building takes place, check on the four basic requirements. If these are in order, I search through the hive is indicated for queen cells as bees have found a space more compatible for Queen rearing : the only time that Queen cells do not appear first on the building frame.

So, from this one frame requiring a mere sixty seconds to examine, the beekeeper can ten exactly what is happening, or more important what is going to happen, in his hive. He only needs to know the language of the bees. 

But this is not all this system has to offer. There are other advantages :
 
1) Speed of checking hives cuts down time expended on this task. 

2) Reduces to a minimum, the annoyance to the bees by extended manipulations. 

3) Risk of robbing by hives being opened for long periods of checking. 

4) Swarm control is positive. 

5) Little disturbance means more harvesting bees are working, not rushing round look· ing for something to sting. 

6) Drone cell production on building frames means worker cells are not torn down by I bees to provide space for drone rearing. 

7) Space is provided for wax production, which would otherwise be lost. 

8) Minimum risk of damage to Queen by excessive moving of frames. 

In conclusion, then it adds up to this: it is an efficient way of management that ensures maximum production for minimum labour - a thought I am sure you will endorse.

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