feeding sugar syrup to get drawn comb

[challenger]

I have 13 double deep hives this year. I had only 2 hives last year and am building honey supers currently for this season. I am wondering if it is worth the trouble to feed the bees sugar syrup to get them to draw out the new foundation. I am using 7-11 foundation which I am experimenting with as a means to keep the queen out of the supers and not use an excluder. I've been told by an old time beekeeper that the cell size that is built on this foundation is an odd size that the queen won't lay in.
Thanks-Howard
Hampstead, NC

[D Coates]

I don't feed to get drawn super comb as they will invariable begin to store the very syrup you're feeding them in the comb they are drawing.  If your planning to harvest any honey you'll eng up with syrup in there.  I will feed to build up stores for winter, brood production and to get them to draw in deeps but I personally avoid giving syrup when supers are on.  I don't know anything about odd cell size in supers.  I've got queens that given the chance will lay up there.

[Jim134]

    

I am have use 7-11 foundation in honey supers for about 35 years. It as sold by Walter T. Kelley. Do not feed sugar syrup to get them to draw out the new foundation in honey supers


    
  https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=189

 

             BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

[sarafina]

   

I am have use 7-11 foundation in honey supers for about 35 years. It as sold by Walter T. Kelley. Do not feed sugar syrup to get them to draw out the new foundation in honey supers


   
 https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=189

 

            BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

I don't have an extractor, so I crush and strain the honey I harvest from my 2 hives.  I don't like to use queen excluders and one hive the queen has never layed in the supers but the other one did last year.  Is this foundation pure wax?

[Jim134]

   

I am have use 7-11 foundation in honey supers for about 35 years. It as sold by Walter T. Kelley. Do not feed sugar syrup to get them to draw out the new foundation in honey supers


   
   https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=189

            BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

         Is this foundation pure wax?

Yes it is pure bees wax


    BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

[Sparky]

   

I am have use 7-11 foundation in honey supers for about 35 years. It as sold by Walter T. Kelley. Do not feed sugar syrup to get them to draw out the new foundation in honey supers


    
  https://products.kelleybees.com/wtkprod/detail.aspx?item=189

 

             BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

Has it kept the queen from laying brood in your supers ?

[Michael Bush]

I used it for years until I got all the same sized boxes and didn't care... and yes, she prefers not to lay in it.  When she does it's when they rework it for drones but if you let them have sufficient drone comb in the brood nest, they won't do that.

[Finski]

I have 13 double deep hives this year.

It takes time when bees expand to the third box. Wintered bees will die and new bees will emerge instead.

If you have now 2 deeps to each hive, things are good. When the hive is time to enlarge you add foundations. Bees do not draw foundations before they have nectar flow in nature.

When you put the foundation box, you may put all food frames from brood boxes into the lowest box and foundations instead.

The syrup build up will not succeed because bees draw combs to their needs. If syrup flow stops, they stop cell building.  

Bees will draw foundations when they need them.  

[Jim134]

I used it for years until I got all the same sized boxes and didn't care... and yes, she prefers not to lay in it.  When she does it's when they rework it for drones but if you let them have sufficient drone comb in the brood nest, they won't do that.

7-11 foundation.............
 
           If you put honey supers on dooring a good flow bees will not have time to  rework the  foundation . If the bees do not have a good  flow it can be  rework for drone comb.


  BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)   

[challenger]

Last year I had one hive where the queen layed in the honey super 2 middle frames. I simply reversed the 2 deep brood chambers so she was again on the bottom and moved the 2 frames of brood to the outside of the honey super. The bees cleaned up the brood and filled the entire super solid with honey. I suppose they know there is not supposed to be brood in these areas of a super so they clean it out.
I have had some success in the past with having the bees draw comb with sugar syrup. Was this just a coincedence that there was maybe a minor flow on while I had syrup on them? I was using a very light ratio. Maybe 1.5 water to 1 part sugar.

[Finski]

.
I have gived to swarms 20% sugar syrup and they have drawn combs. In that case bees cannot store the syrup.