I know a few beeks in the area who use 8 frames in a 10 frame super. They do this by starting with 10, then 9 then 8 to make the bees draw the comb extra deep (thick). I know that bees will draw out comb for honey as deep as possible but brood they will not.
My question is if this extra deep comb will act as a natural queen excluder, preventing her from laying in the supers?
Quote from: patook on June 01, 2009, 11:16:53 PM
I know a few beeks in the area who use 8 frames in a 10 frame super. They do this by starting with 10, then 9 then 8 to make the bees draw the comb extra deep (thick). I know that bees will draw out comb for honey as deep as possible but brood they will not.
My question is if this extra deep comb will act as a natural queen excluder, preventing her from laying in the supers?
No, the sole purpose is to have the bees make deeper combs so that uncapping is easier. Half of the comb is still harvested while uncapping. I personally find it counter productive, but then I do all mine with foundationless and crush and strain.....much easier than extracting.
But if the comb starts out deeper then brood comb, will the queen not lay in it?
Quote from: patook on June 02, 2009, 03:20:11 AM
But if the comb starts out deeper then brood comb, will the queen not lay in it?
Brood comb is always a given depth. Even if you were to put 8 frames in the brood chamber of a 10 frame hive the brood combs would only be a given depth. The arch of honey stored above it however, would be twice as deep.
Brian, thanks for you reply. I apologize, I am not making myself clear.
If I put in a super with 9 frames of deeper then brood sized comb already drawn, will the queen not lay in it? The comb would already be deeper then brood size.
My idea would be leave them longer then normal brood size when harvesting so I could install them next year already deeper then the queen will use. We all know the disadvantages of using a queen excluder and this may be a way to not need it to keep brood out of the super.
Quote from: patook on June 02, 2009, 12:15:24 PM
Brian, thanks for you reply. I apologize, I am not making myself clear.
If I put in a super with 9 frames of deeper then brood sized comb already drawn, will the queen not lay in it? The comb would already be deeper then brood size.
My idea would be leave them longer then normal brood size when harvesting so I could install them next year already deeper then the queen will use. We all know the disadvantages of using a queen excluder and this may be a way to not need it to keep brood out of the super.
Brood cells have a depth that is determined by the length of the queen's abdomen, but using deeper cells won't preclude the queen from laying in them. Anything deeper will result in the queen laying eggs on the sides of the cell wall as if it were a laying worker. There are somethings in nature that just shouldn't be overthought or changed and the deep of the brood cell is one of them.
The purpose of the re stricter plate in the race cars it to keep so much gas from going into the intake manifold.
A queen ex-cluder serves the same purpose, keeps the queen out.
Queens will go where they please if not restricted. :)doak