Foundation-less disaster

[Bigfoot]

Hello beekeepers I need some advice on a major cross combing disaster. I caught to swarms about a week and a half ago and I wanted to try foundation-less beekeeping I took the frames applied a starter strip and some wax and I'm having all kinds of problems with it. instead of building in the direction of the frames they are building across the frames, I have been in there twice and cut the comb and rubber banded it to the frames in the right direction. I really need some advice on how to fix this... any suggestions?

[FRAMEshift]

If you have some drawn foundation comb , cut out the comb except for a ring one cell wide on the top and sides.  

If you are making starter strips, they need to be at least 1/4 inch wide.  And wax usually does not help.  The best frames we've found are the Walter T. Kelley foundationless frames which have a very nice wooden wedge on the top bar.  Although the website says that you should add wax, that is not necessary and the bees can probably do a better job of attaching the wax than the beekeeper can.  

The best comb guide is a frame of drawn comb.  If you put a foundationless frame between two drawn comb frames, it will most likely be drawn properly.

[Kathyp]

some hives do this and will even mess up foundation.  as said above, put some drawn frames in,  or even a few frames with just foundation.

the most common mistake with both foundation and foundationless is not pushing the frames together tightly in the middle of the box. 

[Michael Bush]

Cut out the combs and tie into frames.

[Bigfoot]

Cut out the combs and tie into frames.

Thats what I've started to do Mr Bush, I cut the comb out and rubber banded them on the frames the right way.

[Michael Bush]

Once you have straight combs (the ones rubber banded in the frames) the rest will be parallel to those.