Frank Wyatt asks about the value of drawn comb.  I don't have answers for
time/money/rule of thumb (although I seem to recall (probably incorrectly))
something to the effect of 11 pounds of honey required for 1 pound of
beeswax.  I have no idea where that figure came from or how it was
determined, nor do I know how far a pound of beeswax will go towards
constructing drawn comb.  I have on occasion scraped dry, drawn comb from
extracted honey frames to discover that there is actually very little
beeswac per frame, but I've never measured.

The point I wanted to make is the additional value of drawn comb when it
comes to establishing new bees.  Starting packages on drawn comb and having
drawn comb to use with splits will make the difference of a honey crop in
the first season!  Bees that have to draw foundation to get established are
not going to make much of a crop (if any) in their first season vs. bees on
drawn comb can easily fill three or mone supers!  Of course, these figures
are based on the performance of my bees in my neck of the woods (upstate New
York, near Saratoga).  Your results may vary.  So, a figure I would pull out
of the hat, based on the comparison of a package of bees installed on drawn
comb vs. foundation in their first year is $350 or higher.  Pretty
impressive.  One migh be consider dedicating a few hives solely to the
production of drawn comb.  How?  Shake a double down into a single, give the
emptied box to another hive, give the remaining single a full deep of
foundation frames and be amazed at how fast and how well the bees draw the
combs.  It's just that easy.

Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!

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