Hi, I hope that this is not too dumb a question... our backyard hive is going strong, but I left the feeder on a little too long (overhead feeder). The bees built a good-sized chunk of burr comb in the center chamber of it. The last time I had the hive open a few days ago, there were a lot of bees on that burr comb, making me think that perhaps there was brood in it. I should have brushed some bees off and looked at it carefully, so I'll have to go back and do that. But I have some questions about how to deal with it after I've determined its status:
- if it has brood in it, should I just brush all the bees off it, taking care to look for the queen, and then destroy it/dispose of it/save it for rendering to wax?
- if it appears to be just nectar, pollen, or honey should I just remove it from the hive, break it open in front of the hive, and let the bees rob it and store it in a more appropriate foundation in the hive?
Thank you for your patient instruction.
Kurt
>- if it has brood in it, should I just brush all the bees off it, taking care to look for the queen, and then destroy it/dispose of it/save it for rendering to wax?
Probably not brood in it , just burr comb with honey. If brood probably drone comb. Take a look and clean it up.
>- if it appears to be just nectar, pollen, or honey should I just remove it from the hive, break it open in front of the hive, and let the bees rob it and store it in a more appropriate foundation in the hive?
You got it!!! Not sure of you flow situation --- if no flow, move the burr comb away from hive to be robbed out (if you have more than one hive) to reduce the chances of robbing.
Thanks!