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! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::