Got a clue to my disaster by reading other posts

[denart]

the house keeping I observed the morning before my bees abscounded, was mostly chewed cappings  ( from my post last evening )  when i opened the hive the floor was covered in chewed cappings. I am really starting to think that robbing drove the bees away.
What do you think.
I did not open the hive after i put the bees in, I only observed the bees at the entrance.

<<Now I am wondering about the comb handling. I placed it in shallow frames with rubber bands.....all thecomb was the perfect hight for shallow frames....but now I am wondering did I put it in upside down.
My most urgent question is if I put the comb on my other hive will the bees accept the emerging brood....there is quite a lot. Also, lots of pollen and honey.

I have strained about 40lbs of honey that i will feed back to the bees.

I am also wondering could a robbing frenzy have caused the bees to leave

Well many lessons have and will be learned from this first cutout, as I ponder the situation and get good advice on here.>>

[Michael Bush]

> I am really starting to think that robbing drove the bees away.
What do you think.

I think you are correct.

<<Now I am wondering about the comb handling. I placed it in shallow frames with rubber bands.....all thecomb was the perfect hight for shallow frames....but now I am wondering did I put it in upside down.

It's really irelevant to getting them into a hive and will not cause them to abscond.  It might cause them to build new comb, but in my experience they will store honey in upside down combs but the queen doesn't really like to lay in them.

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/BurrOnGlass.JPG

>My most urgent question is if I put the comb on my other hive will the bees accept the emerging brood....

If it's still alive, yes.

>there is quite a lot. Also, lots of pollen and honey.

I'm surprised that you do.  I've never had any luck tying honey combs into frames.

>I am also wondering could a robbing frenzy have caused the bees to leave

Yes, that is probably the cause, that or they were killed in the frenzy.