There was recently some good discussion involving use of drawn frames, and
Carol Palmer asked 'what does one do when all that is available is
foundation that has not been drawn'?

Many years ago I recall frequently wishing that beekeeping commentators
would not start 'how-to' discussions as if their audience had been keeping
bees for many years, and would instead address how a beginner would best
approach the situation. This situation is a prime example of perhaps
assuming too much.

Clean, light, drawn combs, without disease, are very expensive to produce,
and are one of every beekeepers most prized assets. I think they are mostly
undervalued. When I was an inspector, there were a few signs that I relied
on to tell me the level of expertise and care of the beekeeper. One of those
was the condition of the combs in the supers and the brood nest. Invariably,
when I found clean, light, well-drawn combs the beekeeper was both
knowledgeable and caring. Damaged, dark combs usually (but not always) meant
trouble with disease and wax moth and poor honey production.

How to produce good combs? There are many ways used by good beekeepers. Most
usually settle on one, or possibly two, and become expert at that or those.
Some of the methods are:

  1.. Use full boxes of foundation (plastic or plain wax) directly above a
brood nest during a honey flow.
  2.. Same as #1, but put on the box with foundation after the first super
of drawn comb is filled.
  3.. Have nucs or new swarms draw foundation.
  4.. Dedicate certain hives to nothing but drawing foundation and others to
production.
  5.. Have each hive draw 2-4 frames of foundation by interspersing them in
boxes with drawn comb.
  6.. Set up two-queen hives and dedicate them to drawing foundation.
  7.. Dedicate hives to drawing foundation while being fed.
In producing good combs, it is important to have them fully drawn. In my
opinion, a partially drawn comb is a comb that must be thrown away, and the
energy to produce it was wasted. Only rarely can the bees be persuaded to
fill in the cells not originally drawn. Each of the above methods has
advantages and disadvantages, and to my way of thinking the method chosen
should be the one that will produce near 100% fully drawn combs and very
few, if any, combs that are incompletely drawn.

Over 30+ years, I have tried all of the above. Each can be successful, and
each requires a different level of expertise. For example, #6 can be
phenomenally successful, but should only be attempted by beekeepers with
several years of experience. Alternative #7 is the easiest for beginners. It
is also how I produce several hundred new drawn frames every year, that I
use replace the frames I will sell with nucs in the following year, as well
as to provide new frames to replace those I throw out.

I recommend feeding #55 corn syrup. Many if not most, dealers will sell corn
syrup in 60 pound pails. Some will give a discount if a beekeeper purchases
enough 60-pound pails to equal a full barrel. I figure that a full pail will
be enough to draw 9-10 frames. Carol is in eastern Mass., and I am
reasonably certain that Maxant, in Ayers, sells corn syrup. If corn syrup is
not available, use 1:1 sugar syrup.

Do not attempt to do this with a frame or Boardman feeder. Use a top feeder,
and the best on the market is the Styrofoam feeder sold by Betterbee
(800-632-3379). If you do not want to buy this (but everyone should) use at
least two pail feeders, four quart mason-jar feeders, etc. Keep syrup in the
feeders at all times, letting them run out, may (is likely to) lead to combs
not fully drawn.

If using over-wintered hives, and drawn comb is available, super them
normally until just after the start of the major flow (mid-July in this
area). If drawn comb is not available, start the following when dandelions
bloom and check weekly for swarm cells. If found, destroy them or the hive
will swarm and will not draw comb. Just after the start of the major flow,
remove any supers and put them on other hives. Replace with a single box of
new foundation and a feeder on top. When that is 80%-90% drawn, which should
take 1-2 weeks, put on another box above that one, and immediately below the
feeder. When the first is 100% drawn, move the 'new' box down so it is
immediately above the brood nest. It will take several days less to draw the
2nd box than it did to draw the first.

Continue to add boxes, as foundation is fully drawn. I can get 3 full deeps
from every hive. Sometimes 4. If you are drawing comb to use in honey
production, it is probably best to extract these and keep the 'syrup/honey'
for drawing more foundation the next year. If the drawn frames are to be
used for brood production, it is best to let the bees keep the drawn frames
over the winter, moving them to other hives if necessary. Bees over-winter
much better on syrup than on honey!

There is lots more detail that could be discussed, but this has been long
enough for now. Ask if there are more questions.

Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner of Ross Rounds, manufacturer of comb honey equipment
for beekeepers and Sundance pollen traps.
http://www.rossrounds.com
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