Can bees change cells from one purpose to another?

[Foxhound]

If the bees build brood comb, can this later be changed (by the bees) to drone comb, or to honey comb? Is drone comb always going to be drone comb?

Does moving the frames around (I am using foundation-less frames) affect the bees "plan" for the purpose of the comb they are building?

[Javin]

This is strictly theory here, as I'm working on finding out that very thing...

Seems the difference between "brood comb" and "drone comb" may be done on the fly, altering cells as necessary...

When they build natural comb, there's different sizes within the comb itself, often containing honey, brood, and pollen on a single comb. This would make it easier for nurse bees to find resources to do their jobs.

So theoretically, moving comb around in the hive SHOULDN'T have a significant impact, though I'd try not to shuffle it too much.  The queen will have a plan for what order she's laying her eggs in, and shuffling the comb may upset that order. 

Again, all theory here.  It'll be a few years before I have enough hives to experiment on, too.  :D

[AndrewT]

Yes, the bees will do whatever they want to do with those cells, no matter what they were originally constructed for.  They won't ask your opinion, or your advice, or apply for a zoning variance.  

They will put honey and pollen in drone cells or worker cells or honey cells.  They will raise worker brood or drone brood in honey comb.  They'll even raise drone brood in worker comb. And they'll put queen cells just anywhere.

To be serious, it will affect them somewhat, if you split up the brood nest, or if you stick a frame of brood off by itself in cool weather.  But if you put a frame of empty comb that had honey in it last year into this year's brood nest, they won't give it a thought.  Nor will they care if you stick an old black brood comb in the honey super; they'll just fill it up with honey and go on with things.

[FRAMEshift]

Worker brood will NOT be laid in honeycomb or drone comb.  The cells are too large for that purpose.  Honey and pollen will be stored in any cell that's available.  Drones will sometimes be laid in what was previously worker comb, but it has to be re-worked to make enough space for the drone.  I'm not sure about drones being laid in honey comb.  You would have to measure the cells carefully to be sure that's what had happened.

[FRAMEshift]

  The queen will have a plan for what order she's laying her eggs in, and shuffling the comb may upset that order. 

We all tend to think of the queen this way.  It's built into the name of the caste so we think she has some decision making ability or plan.  But control of the hive is a colony level decision.  The queen is really an egg laying machine who lays where she is told to lay by the workers tending her.

[Michael Bush]

>f the bees build brood comb, can this later be changed (by the bees) to drone comb, or to honey comb? Is drone comb always going to be drone comb?

Any comb can be filled with honey.  Only drone comb can be used for drones and only worker comb can be used for workers.  It is difficult for them to tear down combs that have cocoons in them.  So they seldom tear down drone comb that has had drones raised in it or worker comb that has had workers raised in it.

>Does moving the frames around (I am using foundation-less frames) affect the bees "plan" for the purpose of the comb they are building?

Of course.  But the "plan" seems more sequential than three dimensional.  In other words at first they draw worker comb because they need to raise some bees to do the work.  Then they draw drone comb because they now have the resources that they can afford drone comb.  So in a natural sequence these drones end up on the outside edges.  But if you are adding empty frames to the center they could end up in the center.  In other words, the drone comb is typically  on the outside edges because the sequence of events puts them there, not because of an overall plan.

[tefer2]

I like having you on here Michael, you make it so simple for me.

[JackM]

I must second tefer2, you define  and clarify without complication.
But you can only take one bow, don't let it go to your head.

[AndrewT]

I have seen drones in combs that had previously had worker brood in it.  Of course, not like a solid pattern, just splotches here and there.  And I have had bees move up into a super that had been full of honey the previous summer, consumed over the winter, and raise brood in the former honey comb.

[Javin]

I have seen drones in combs that had previously had worker brood in it.  Of course, not like a solid pattern, just splotches here and there.  And I have had bees move up into a super that had been full of honey the previous summer, consumed over the winter, and raise brood in the former honey comb.

I've seen this specific scenario so often, I thought it was commonplace.  I generally just manually move whatever hive body currently has the queen to the bottom of the stack.

I'm thinking we're overthinking how the bees choose to lay out their comb.  They are insects, after all.  They're just going to do whatever is easiest.  If the queen has moved up to where honey was stored to make it through the winter, that's where she'll start laying eggs when it's time.  No reason for her to make sure to move down to level one, frame 2 just because that's what the blueprints say to do.  I believe she'll start laying the eggs, then the bees will alter the comb as necessary, with no thought as to whether that particular comb was previously used for brood, honey, pollen, or drones.