Two of my packages are building comb vertically off the top bar. I have a ten frame deep with fully drawn comb and an empty medium on top to house feeder jars. The bees are build vertically into the medium. How long should I permit this? I am wondering if I should cut the comb and rubber band it into an empty frame and put it into the deep, let it bee, or cut it off and throw it in the wax melter. Any ideas?
Is this just burr comb between the boxes? MAy be some drone comb?
A little bit of comb won't hurt. If the lower box is full of brood/pollen/ nectar with bees covering eight or more frames you may consider throwing on another brood chamber or super depending upon your philosophy.
You don't have a inner cover between the frames and the box that is housing the feeder? The bees should not have access to the top box or they will draw comb in it.
i would have to agree with bluegrass for a swarm or package. both are comb building fools and they need to get started right. allowing them access to the empty box is going to give you problems. you can do that with an established hive later. for now, i'd cut that comb off and put an inner cover down. put your feed jar over that.
You can crumple up newspaper around to take up the empty space. It worked for the kids at bee class.
It was done here too:
http://clinton.extension.psu.edu/Ag/Bees/bee_videos.htm (http://clinton.extension.psu.edu/Ag/Bees/bee_videos.htm)
at 2:35 is papering
Cut off the comb and glue it to the site where it ought to be.
Pour hot wax on bar and push the comb on it. Look the direction of cells. a little bit upwards in final position.
Normally bees like to start draw combs aside the wall. They never start in the middle of box.