Drawing Comb

[GSF]

Now that the flow is dwindling I'm considering feeding for the purpose of comb building. I really don't have any comb per say. I have about 2 8f mediums I plan to use next spring. I figure this fall I'll extract the sugar syrup and let them clean up the frames. My concern is if I keep feeding they'll back fill the brood nest and r-u-n-n-o-f-t. Is it possible to keep adding supers and they will draw them out?

[Steel Tiger]

 Why not pulling out two or three frames of drawn out comb (capped or uncapped honey) and replacing with empty frames?  Set the frames out in front of the hive and let the bees clean them up. Afterwards, freeze the frames for a couple days then store them for next year.
A better way may be to pull the honey frames from the ends of the brood box, slide the rest of the frames outward and put two empty frames into the center with one drawn frame between them. (I'm assuming you're using all mediums). Bees will draw out brood comb before drawing out honey comb. Then take the two honey frames you pulled and put them centered  into the top box.
You should be able to repeat that every couple of weeks or so.

[Vance G]

Another tactic if you are willing to feed is to shake a swarm off your existing colony including the queen and put them on foundation with a frame of wet brood to hold them.  They will draw out your new frames rapidly.  The original colony will produce a new queen in warm weather and lots of drones and the 'swarm' will draw out a lot of comb.  You can do the jiggering around with extra feed as you please.  You can recombine the colonies if you don't want more numbers.  Since you may be a hoarder like me, an extra colony is never a problem. 

But then you need more comb----

[10framer]

Another tactic if you are willing to feed is to shake a swarm off your existing colony including the queen and put them on foundation with a frame of wet brood to hold them.  They will draw out your new frames rapidly.  The original colony will produce a new queen in warm weather and lots of drones and the 'swarm' will draw out a lot of comb.  You can do the jiggering around with extra feed as you please.  You can recombine the colonies if you don't want more numbers.  Since you may be a hoarder like me, an extra colony is never a problem. 

But then you need more comb----

i'm going to try this on one hive just to see how it goes.  i have a hive with last year's queen that i had planned on replacing (taking her out of the gene pool, actually) next month.  i'll let her get started and see how it goes.

[Dallasbeek]

Vance,  I like that euphemism "taking her out of the gene pool". Didn't we (not you, but me) get into a misunderstanding (on my part, actually) about "replacing" a queen recently?  I took it to mean somebody was going to kill the old queen.  Okay, i'm learning to use the right terms.  :lau: :cheer:

Gary

[Dallasbeek]

Okay, it was 10framer and I that weren't communicating before.  Really, I learn a lot on this forum every time I get on.  I've been trying to get "my" bees to draw out comb on a super.   I fed for a while, but got no results.  Strong hive in a deep 8f, but they show no interest in drawing out more comb.  My 2 deep 10f hive is so full of bees I'm borrowing another box next week to give them some room.  My intent is to move them into 8f boxes a little later.  Any suggestions?  I want to eventually go all foundationless.  I like the idea of wiring foundationless frames to support the wax.  Our summers in Dallas are brutally hot.  One year we had 42 days straight over 100 F. 

[sterling]

Now that the flow is dwindling I'm considering feeding for the purpose of comb building. I really don't have any comb per say. I have about 2 8f mediums I plan to use next spring. I figure this fall I'll extract the sugar syrup and let them clean up the frames. My concern is if I keep feeding they'll back fill the brood nest and r-u-n-n-o-f-t. Is it possible to keep adding supers and they will draw them out?
[

If it is a new hive, young queen ect., you may be able to keep them drawing comb by feeding. The thing is to feed alittle at a time. I put syrup in and let um run out then add alittle syrup let um run out. The feed should keep um building up. Just don't dump in a bunch at a time.

[10framer]

dallas, in this case i moved that queen to another split but she and several others are likely to be killed in a couple of weeks.  i grafted 14 larvae today and depending on how many take my non-performers and defensive hives are getting re-queened.

[GSF]

Sterling, That's the case. Either swarms, packages, or splits. I'm going to try a couple of different things I've read on this thread. Sounds like some good ideas.