# Help! An evergrowing festoon



## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

Hello, all,

if you have read my other posts you may know that I am quite anxious about this ballooning festoon in my top bar hive. It is about five or more bars wide and is now reaching across the hive towards the left wall, like the edge of a wide pyramid. What would you do next in this situation???

Heart,
Thomas:s


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Give them sugar syrup and let them get to work drawing comb.
what were you expecting to see vs what are you seeing now?


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

In all likelihood they're building comb. The fact that the mass is expanding along the bars is promising. Often without a stronger suggestion, such as an existing comb, the bees set off in the wrong direction. You're offering them food right? Bees make comb out of food.

Chill, everything is fixable as long as they have something to eat.
Bill


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## AvatarDad (Mar 31, 2016)

Feed, love, and enjoy. Festooning bees are one of my happiest encounters. Make sure they have enough food to build something.


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

I guess I really have no expectation at all! I'm a newbie, my attitude for this first year is observation and survival, I don't expect to harvest anything.


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

Yay! Success. Today is a week out after welcoming the bees to their new hive. And I can see that they are building comb along the bars! Mind you, it is still to the right of the hive, so I don't know if that is a problem I have to deal with or not.


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

They had to start from somewhere. No problem. That little comb is already filled with eggs and young brood. Soon you will start to gain population. Keep offering food.
Bill


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## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

Yunzow said:


> Mind you, it is still to the right of the hive, so I don't know if that is a problem I have to deal with or not.


its outside the hive? That's definitely a problem.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

MonkeyMcBean said:


> its outside the hive? That's definitely a problem.


lol Im pretty sure they meant right side of the bar :lpf:


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## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

I thought they meant to the right side of the brood nest.


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

Yeah, I dunno exactly how to describe this.

I'll try to draw it out.

000000X00CCC0

If you were looking through the central front entrance of the hive (not a side entrance), and X were the center, you would see comb on the right of center where the big C's are.

Or, looking from above (not necessarily representing the actual bars, or right proportions, but roughly):

rear
00000
00000
0000c
00ccc
0cccc
00ccc
0000c
00000
00000
00000
00000
00000
front




MonkeyMcBean said:


> I thought they meant to the right side of the brood nest.


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## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

Bees build their nest where they think best within the hive. It seems like you expected them to start in the center. If I recall correctly, most people put the brood off to one end of the top bar hive. If you want to, you can move the comb all the way to one end. 

Do you have a follower board? Too much empty space in a hive can also be a bad thing.

Mostly though, it seems like you need to take a deep breath and have a cup of herbal tea.

Disclosure: I don't have bees and yet I am giving you advice. Take it or leave it.


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

I don't mind the advice, I've been a bit anxious.

The only concern I have right now is the combs aren't centered on the bar, so they are starting on the right side of the bars and the comb is progressing left across the bars. I dunno if this is something I need to deal with or not.



MonkeyMcBean said:


> Bees build their nest where they think best within the hive. It seems like you expected them to start in the center. If I recall correctly, most people put the brood off to one end of the top bar hive. If you want to, you can move the comb all the way to one end.
> 
> Do you have a follower board? Too much empty space in a hive can also be a bad thing.
> 
> ...


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

With in the relm of normal 







the hive may be unlevel with them stating at the high point, or it just the bees, some times they do that, likely starting in the corner gives them more surface to attach to


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

So it looks like you just let them do their thing?


msl said:


> With in the relm of normal
> View attachment 31798
> 
> the hive may be unlevel with them stating at the high point, or it just the bees, some times they do that, likely starting in the corner gives them more surface to attach to


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## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

Yunzow said:


> So it looks like you just let them do their thing?


Or replace your bars with ones that have a comb guide. Once they've started this way, they'll continue. It might end up that you have to destroy comb in the future to inspect.

I saw a video once where someone used hair clips to do cutouts and put the comb in a top bar hive. If you want to, you can move the comb to the center that way. Once one is centered, subsequent newly built comb will be too.


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## Delta 21 (Mar 4, 2016)

msl said:


> With in the relm of normal
> View attachment 31798


Looking good.






Brand new bee house and they are decorating. Beautiful virgin wax comb seemingly out of thin air.

By September you could have that entire box so filled with bees and comb and honey that a thousand or so need to hang out on the front porch. Continual amazement from the bees.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Yunzow said:


> So it looks like you just let them do their thing?


as long as they are following the bars, yes


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

You have such pictures! How did you get the bees off the combs on the right? I cannot see any combs at all unless I pull the bar out, there is such a mass of bees on all of them!



msl said:


> as long as they are following the bars, yes


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

random goggle picts of what I think your telling me your seeing


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

wow LOL


msl said:


> random goggle picts of what I think your telling me your seeing


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The bees are hugging the south side (the sunny side) of the hive to stay warm.


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

That is exactly right, the right side of the hive is south facing.


Michael Bush said:


> The bees are hugging the south side (the sunny side) of the hive to stay warm.


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