Screwed up and broke the comb...what do I do?

MaryBeth · April 26, 2015, 07:31:28 PM

I've been checking for cross comb. The bees aren't building across bars, but they are attaching the comb to the side of the hive. I tried cutting it away with a bread knife, like I saw in a video, but I didn't cut enough and a huge chunk fell off and into the hive. It may even have been attached to the floor because it was standing straight up.

Do I take it out or leave it alone and let the bees work on it?

don2 · April 26, 2015, 07:40:42 PM

If it has brood in it I would leave it till they hatch. If not brood take it out and lay it out side away from the hive. The bees will clean it up, if it has honey in it. Save it to melt down. A small piece should not take up much space in the fridge. If you leave it, it could just lead to more misplaced comb. The saying is to fix a problem before it becomes a "bigger" problem. d2

MaryBeth · April 26, 2015, 07:50:01 PM

Thank you. I can't tell if there is brood or not. Some of the honey is capped but it is very light colored in both of the hives.

don2 · April 26, 2015, 08:01:11 PM

If you have a hand held torch or a grill liter, Take one of the top bars that has no comb. Heat the area where comb would be built, heat it till it smokes but not blaze. take the comb and hold it on the heated spot till it cools. that should hold till the bees brace it more. Never tried this but don't see why it wouldn't work. d2

MaryBeth · April 26, 2015, 08:20:35 PM

thank you. I'll try this and let you know how it goes

BeeMaster2 · April 26, 2015, 09:42:55 PM

Marybeth,
You can also take a couple of rubber bands and place them on a frame, place the comb in the frame and slide the rubber bands to hold it in place. Then just put it back in the hive. The bees will fill the space till it is attached to the top board.
Jim

OldMech · April 26, 2015, 10:48:04 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on April 26, 2015, 09:42:55 PM
Marybeth,
You can also take a couple of rubber bands and place them on a frame, place the comb in the frame and slide the rubber bands to hold it in place. Then just put it back in the hive. The bees will fill the space till it is attached to the top board.
Jim

Yeah that! rubber bands FTW!

don2 · April 27, 2015, 05:33:28 PM

Wonder about the rubber bands without a bottom bar. Equal tension would have to be held on both sides, plus if too much tension the bands would cut into the wax. It might work. d2

Karen J Burnett · May 08, 2015, 06:45:18 PM

When that happened to me it was nearly every comb off of every bar. All were just laying on the bottom of the hive. We went and got some very large hair clips - the biggest they make. We used the hair clips to grip the comb (two per) and then zip tied the clips to the bars. It worked. The bees filled it all in nicely.

Dallasbeek · May 12, 2015, 07:05:33 PM

Yes on the hair clips. A guy named Courtney Taylor in Austin, Texas, area has a bunch of YouTube videos on TBH beekeeping and shows this in several of them. After the bees attach the comb, he goes back and cuts out the clips for reuse. Does a neat job, too.

Chiefman · May 19, 2015, 07:25:03 AM

Rubber bands wont work on a Top Bar hive.. i will either collapse the comb or flick bend the comb so it wont align up and down.

The Hair clip method is the best
https://youtu.be/asYwcWxWGv4?list=PL5mPWuD4PPESArlOyZt9wAB822lnPu1Jp

shoshannama · June 18, 2015, 05:50:57 AM

If a chunk of brood comb falls off don't sweat it. They are in the building time of year and there's likely plenty more! DEpending on beetles in your area I wouldn't leave it there as beetle bait. Just remove it and feed it to your chickens if you have any- they love it! First time I lost a full broodcomb I read all about how to reattach it and lost sleep over it. Chunks or combs occasionally break during inspections- it's sad, but there will be lots more.