Grant said: > I've tried spraying with sugar syrup only to > have it bead up and roll off the waxed coating. I can offer a suggestion on this point. Try a sprayer with a "fine" mist. If you want to use a fingertip pump sprayer, avoid sprayers from "industrial" and "cleaning" products, and find one for a "cosmetic" product. I have tested lots of different fingertip pump sprayers in selecting one to be included with bottles of Bee-Quick. (We will "upgrade" all dealer stock within the next two months, so all bottles sold from June 2003 on will have sprayers.) With a fine mist (and not too much spraying) the droplets should be able to stay put on the foundation. The "fine mist" sprayers will but out MUCH less than 1 cc per pump. The "regular mist" sprayers will put out at least 1 cc per pump. But if foundation has to be "baited" to get the bees to give it any attention at all, perhaps the problem is that the bees simply do not feel that they have a comb "shortage", in that they have sufficient empty comb to support their operations. > the relative brevity of the honeyflow limits > how many frames can be drawn out. Then feed the bees! I slap feeders on my colonies in July and August when there is not much else going on here in Virginia with the sole purpose of getting them to draw comb. Since I remove honey supers before doing this, the feed (sugar, HFCS, whatever) does not get into the harvestable crop, but is instead part of their overwintering stores. The removal of all supers, combined with the feeding, usually creates a "sense of urgency" about drawing comb. Of course, now that the 6-year-long drought conditions have eased, I may modify this approach, as less dry conditions may allow me to get a "fall crop". jim :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::