rate of comb growth

Understudy · February 09, 2007, 10:19:33 PM

On average, how long does it take bees to make comb? I have heard if there is a flow going they will make it faster, then if there is no flow. Does the rate for brood comb differ from honey comb?

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Kirk-o · February 09, 2007, 10:43:13 PM

You know they need a flow to draw comb or make it I think they decide what the need first brood or honey comb
kirk-o

Understudy · February 09, 2007, 10:45:20 PM

Okay, but how long would it take the bees to draw a 12"x12" piece of comb?

Which would be drawn faster brood or honey comb or does it matter?

Sincerely,
Brendhan

likes2grill · February 10, 2007, 12:14:43 AM

I read some where with a good flow they will draw out a frame in a week.

Finsky · February 10, 2007, 02:35:35 AM

If you have a swarm which fills a langstroth box, bees will draw combs during a week if they get syrup or nectar. But they do not draw walls ready. When they fill cells, they build cells more.

Bees build combs only if they need. If nectar flow stops, they stops drawing.

If bees are not able to draw combs, they will not draw a foundation unless they need it.

Michael Bush · February 10, 2007, 05:06:56 PM

Getting into comb building mode takes some time. Once they are in comb building mode they build it much more quickly than if they are not. I've put an empty frame in the brood nest about mid May and had it drawn out completely a day or two later.

"100,000 bees all producing at the same time should secrete one pound of beeswax overnight." Beeswax Production, Harvesting, Processing and Products by William L. Coggshall and Roger A. Morse

Mici · February 10, 2007, 07:14:44 PM

when my menthor gave me a swarm i wasn't sure about what to do...i mean, he just said put it in a hive with this already built frame that he gave me and feed it a little. so i did. but the next day, bees were still like the day before, in a form of a cluster left of the already built comb, so i had to poke them just to see if they'll finyll move. khm...that wasn't a cluster, they built a comb in size of one frame completely straight, aligned with the frame inside, over night. then i put in 9 empty frames, i think they drew them...maybe a bit more than a week, swarms are mad about building combs.

but like some said before, if there is flow, they'le build.

which gets me thinking...would they build comb in autumn when we are winter feeding them? the feeding is supposed to represent a flow-it does stimulate the queen a bit, doesn't it?

Michael Bush · February 10, 2007, 10:33:27 PM

>would they build comb in autumn when we are winter feeding them?

They never build comb if there is any empty space to use instead. In the fall there almost always is. They are slow to build comb when it's cooler, even if they need it.

Understudy · February 10, 2007, 11:05:23 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on February 10, 2007, 10:33:27 PM
>would they build comb in autumn when we are winter feeding them?

They never build comb if there is any empty space to use instead. In the fall there almost always is. They are slow to build comb when it's cooler, even if they need it.

Will they abandon comb?
I have noticed on my cut outs that sections/rows of comb will have been used and then left behind for new comb. So will honeybees move toward newer comb and abandon old comb or am I just encountering something weird?

Does comb start out with a specfic design? Are the bees going to draw brood comb and it will never be honey comb. Or is the comb interchangeable. I have noticed how center brood comb is very different from outer comb. The outer comb is much larger in diameter.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Brian D. Bray · February 11, 2007, 01:19:51 AM

In the feral hives you should notice a beveling of the comb near the edges 1/2-1 inch wide. This is there for strength of the overall comb mass. They will occassionally store nectar in these shorter combs for short periods. The outer cells of feral comb is also larger, this is where you'll find the drone brood. In the fall the drone rearing area is filled with honey storage. In a langstroth hive the wood frame replaces the beveled edges.

limyw · February 11, 2007, 11:49:16 AM

Catch swarm hive with about 10k bees able to draw 5 complete comb in 3 days, if syrup is feed. During nectar flow and when the colony is strong enough, they take 1-2 days to draw a nice comb. So, the conclusion is comb drawing speed is very much depends on urgency. If swarm hive doesn't draw enough combs for food storage and for egg laying in very short period, the hive will collapse easily.

Finsky · February 11, 2007, 12:03:30 PM

.

When it is god flow bees draw combs fast. But even if they do that, it is not wise to put them draw combs too much. Bees' body will be stressed and their live will be short. It has effect to honey yileld. Two box per summer is a good amount.

In Austaralia they have noticed that long heavy yield will collapse colonies health.

To give foundations is much more better in this meaning than top bars.

Michael Bush · February 11, 2007, 02:09:10 PM

>Will they abandon comb?

If they can't defend it, yes.

>I have noticed on my cut outs that sections/rows of comb will have been used and then left behind for new comb. So will honeybees move toward newer comb and abandon old comb or am I just encountering something weird?

Sometimes they will leave some behind. Usually it got infested with wax moths and they just abandoned it.

>Does comb start out with a specfic design? Are the bees going to draw brood comb and it will never be honey comb.

Any comb can be used as honey comb.

> Or is the comb interchangeable.

Some was built strictly as drone and some is built as storage and some is in between.

>I have noticed how center brood comb is very different from outer comb. The outer comb is much larger in diameter.

Exactly. So there is this overlap of sizes where they go from the core of the brood nest (down to as small as 4.4mm) and work their way up to storage which is likely to be more like 5.2mm. Some of the smaller storage comb will get used for brood at the peak of the brood nest.