At 10:11  6/13/96 -0400, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender:       Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
>Poster:       Tim Peters <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Re: Honey-clogged brood nests - solution?
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>        I experienced Joel's problem last year, except my hives were two
>        story. We had a mild winter and I was unprepared for a very
>        fast build-up and a huge spring flow. I followed instructions
>        that I had read about preparations for a strong flow and placed
>        queen excluders above the 2nd deep and supers above that. By the
>        middle of June I had 6 supers of capped honey from 2 hives.
>        After I put the excluders on I did not venture a look into the
>        brood chambers. As a moderate summer drought progressed I didn't
>        see anything that resembled much of a honey flow. I had replaced
>        the filled supers but was disappointed to see that not that much more
>        honey was being stored. Then the swarms started. By the end of summer
>        I had 7-8 swarms from 2 hives. It finally dawned on me about mid-August
>        to check the brood chambers. I was amazed to find that both hives
>        had completely filled the 2nd deeps with honey. With strong hives
>        confined to one deep, swarming must have been the only choice.
>        Further reading seemed to place some of the blame on the excluders,
>        so this year I am not using them.
>
>        This year has been completely different. A long hard winter and a
>        rainy sometimes cold spring maybe makes the difference. Here it
>        is mid-June and I have yet to have a single super filled. On most
>        good weather days the bees seem to be foraging at an acceptable pace,
>        but no surplus as yet.
>
>        QUESTION:
>
>        I put on an additional deep with new foundation on each hive this
>        spring. Would the action of drawing comb on new foundation actually
>        slow the rate at which honey is stored?
>
>
>Tim Peters, Kirby VT
>[log in to unmask]
>KirBee Apiary, Bear Bait Honey
>I rather be flying!
>
 
The answer to your question is - most definitely.  Any nectar gathering is
going to have to be used for wax production before any can be stored and
made into honey.  Obviously, this is a blanket statement.  They will store
some nectar, but they will be limited on what they can store until they pull
the cells out.
 
 
Mike Wallace
Sar Shalom Apiary
McKinney, Texas   USA
"Out of the heart, the mouth speaks."