Drawing Comb and Comb Management

Comb drawing (getting foundation drawn out) is the process by which honey bees build the foundation fitted in a frame into usable comb, using wax they secrete themselves. Drawn comb is one of a beekeeper's most valuable assets; getting comb drawn at the right time, replacing old comb regularly and protecting it in storage are the three core tasks of comb management.

Why is drawn comb so valuable?

Beeswax is secreted by the wax glands on the underside of young worker bees' abdomens, and producing it takes a lot of energy. Bees have to consume several kilograms of honey or nectar to produce one kilogram of wax; sources usually give a figure of 6–8 kg, although estimates vary.

That is why ready drawn comb turns directly into yield during a flow: the bees don't spend time building, they fill straight away. Well-drawn, even comb also provides the worker cells the queen will lay in.

When do bees draw comb?

Bees only produce wax when certain conditions come together:

• Nectar flow: Nectar or syrup must be coming into the hive steadily. Without forage the colony will not draw wax.
• Plenty of young bees: The wax glands are most developed in workers about 12–18 days old. A populous, growing colony draws comb faster.
• Temperature: Wax can only be worked in warm conditions; bees raise the temperature by forming festoons (chains) while building.
• Need for space: The colony must need room to store or lay.

Giving foundation when there is no forage is pointless; the bees ignore it, chew it or only work its edges.

How do you fit foundation?

Fitting foundation flat and taut is not a detail; it is the heart of the job. Foundation fitted loosely or crookedly is drawn crooked, and crooked comb destroys the interchangeability of frames, which is the whole benefit of a framed hive system.

1. Wire the frame: Thread stainless steel wire through the holes in the frame's side bars and tension it. Taut wire supports the foundation and stops the comb breaking during extraction.
2. Insert the foundation: The foundation sits in the slot or groove in the top bar; leave a few millimetres of space between it and the side and bottom bars, because wax expands when warm.
3. Embed the wire in the wax: The wire is embedded into the foundation with a heated spur embedder or an electric wire embedder.
4. Check: Hold the frame up to the light; the foundation should be flat, without ripples, and firmly attached to the wire.

Ways to get foundation drawn more easily

• Place it between drawn combs: Putting foundation between two drawn combs encourages the bees to build and keeps the comb flat.
• Give it near the brood nest: Building goes faster in the warm zone; but in cold periods, don't split the brood by putting foundation right in the middle of the brood nest.
• Feed lightly if the flow is weak: Thin syrup simulates a nectar flow and stimulates wax production.
• Don't give too much at once: More foundation than the colony can handle is left half-drawn or drawn crooked. Give it one or two at a time.
• Make use of strong colonies: During a flow, strong colonies quickly draw many sheets of foundation; these frames can then be shared out to weak colonies.

How do you prevent crooked comb and brace comb?

Bees fill gaps wider than the natural passage they leave between combs (the bee space, about 6–9 mm) with comb, and narrower gaps with propolis. Therefore:

• Don't leave frames missing from a box; set the frames evenly, pushed up against each other.
• Put an empty frame without foundation between drawn combs so that the bees build it straight.
• Spot comb that is starting to go crooked early, and correct or remove it.

When should old combs be replaced?

Comb in which brood is raised darkens over time. Each generation of brood leaves a cocoon in the cell; the cells get smaller, the comb turns dark and disease agents and treatment residues build up in it. That is why regularly replacing brood combs is one of the most effective hygiene measures a beekeeper can take.

• Common rule: About a third of the brood combs are replaced every year, so no comb stays in the hive for more than a few years.
• Priority: Dark combs that let no light through, combs with a lot of drone cells, and broken or crooked combs are removed first.
• Method: In spring, old combs are moved to the side once their brood has emerged and then taken out of the hive; they are replaced with foundation as the flow begins.
• Wax cycle: Removed combs are melted down; having foundation made from your own clean cappings wax breaks the residue cycle.

Drone frame (cut-out frame)

In a frame without foundation, or with only a half sheet, the bees build freely and usually make drone cells. Because the varroa mite prefers drone brood, the brood in this frame is cut out and discarded after it is capped and before the drones emerge. This is a practical way of helping to reduce mite numbers without chemicals.

Timing is critical: If the capped drone brood is not cut out in time, the mites emerge along with the drones and the method backfires: mite numbers go up.

How should drawn comb be stored?

Combs stored outside the hive are most at risk from wax moth. Wax moth larvae quickly ruin dark combs in particular, those that have held brood and contain pollen, with tunnels and webbing.

• Cold: Wax moth cannot develop in the cold. Leaving combs in a deep freezer for a day or two kills all stages; then store them somewhere closed where moths cannot get in.
• Light and air: Hanging combs spaced apart in a bright, airy place makes it hard for wax moth to settle.
• Sorting: Don't keep dark brood combs in storage for long; they are the most heavily attacked. Pale super combs are less at risk.
• No chemicals: Mothballs (naphthalene) and similar chemicals leave residues in wax and honey; don't use them.