Thanks Lloyd and others for setting me straight re: the need for 10 frames
in the brood hives ... I take responsibility for messing up, i.e.,  I think
I'm the confused one, not those with whom I have spoken.
 
I will add that 10th frame this morning, and re-space!
 
Sincerely,
 
Elizabeth
 
----------
> From: Lloyd Spear <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Elizabeth Vogt questions
> Date: Friday, April 24, 1998 7:45 AM
>
> Elizabeth Vogt s bees built comb down from her inner cover in between her
> frames of foundation.
> Elizabeth, I am afraid that your beekeeper friends gave you advice that
was
> not the best.  In supers, it is best to have nine combs and some even
> advocate eight.  This because it has been demonstrated that when the bees
> build out the combs deeper, which they will do with fewer combs, the
extra
> honey that is stored significantly exceeds that which would be stored
with
> ten frames.  In other words, nine combs will hold more honey than ten,
and
> eight will hold even more!  In addition, when the combs are built out
well
> beyond the wooden frames, uncapping, for extraction, is much faster and
> easier.
> However, in a brood nest, which you are trying to have the bees
construct,
> ten frames should be used.  Under normal circumstances, the queen will
not
> lay in the two end frames and they will be kept more or less full of
honey
> and pollen.  That leaves eight frames for brood.  If you only have nine
> frames in a brood nest, the queen still will not lay in the end frames,
so
> that leaves only seven frames for brood.  That is a reduction of 1/8th or
> 12.5% for brood!  Use ten frames in the brood nest.
> Further, even in a super, you should not start the bees on nine frames of
> foundation, or they will do just what you experienced.  Instead, start
them
> on ten frames so there will not be any extra spacing.  The bees will
start
> drawing comb in the center frames and go outwards, leaving the end frames
> until last.  When you have eight frames at least 50% drawn (some will be
> 100% drawn), remove both end frames.  Put one back, in the center, take
the
> center frame and put it on one end.  Re-space the nine frames, more or
less
> equally.  A finger works well for that.  Now the bees will continue to
drawn
> out the frames properly to fill the super.
> Hope this helps.
> Lloyd
> [log in to unmask]
> Owner, Ross Rounds  the finest in comb honey production.