# Starter strips, above or below brood?



## Sasha (Feb 22, 2005)

How do you add a full super with starter strips, below(like in warre hive) or above the brood? What would be a better move? I expect a strong flow of canola these next days.
Actually for weaker hives I have put below. The stronger one get above brood chamber the third super, mostly with comb. So what is done is done. I am just curious how would others do it in my situation.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I would do one of two things. Either move a drawn comb up from the box below into the box above for a ladder, or put the new box below. Either will work fine.


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## Sasha (Feb 22, 2005)

Lot of cross combing in two boxes. Both were above the brood. it seems its better to add bellow the brood like in Warre hive system. If you add above in a honeflow they will build thick comb which tends to cross and connect frames. That's a mess. Things would be much easier with foundation it seems.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Lot of cross combing in two boxes. Both were above the brood. it seems its better to add bellow the brood like in Warre hive system.

Do you have some kind of comb guide? Do you have some kind of ladder (a drawn comb etc.)? I have not had a problem if I have those. I have always had a problem if I don't.

> If you add above in a honeflow they will build thick comb which tends to cross and connect frames.

True even if you put drawn comb between foundation or any of many other senarios. It usually works better to space them more like 1 1/2" apart where they are storing honey.

>Things would be much easier with foundation it seems.

Actually they mess up foundation a lot too. They tend to hate plastic and often build either "fins" between the foundations or another comb between the frames. They often avoid duracomb and duragilt and do the same. With wax foundation it often sags and collapses and makes an even bigger mess. I would say the odds of them messing it up are about the same with or without foundation.


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## Sasha (Feb 22, 2005)

Have checked my hives thoroughly. What I thought was a lot crosscomb was not that. The combs have been connected to the brood box below (some drone brood).
So far I am happy with the foundationless. But I notice I have a LOT of drone brood. A organic beekeeper here told me that lot of drones means lot of honey. Well see about that!


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Sasha said:


> A organic beekeeper here told me that lot of drones means lot of honey. Well see about that!


Their chief leader also recommends working bees at night, using no smoke, strickly following Housel positioning, the list goes on...saddle up those drones and PUT THEM TO WORK FOR YOU. Get lots of plastic foundation and HSC also. 

All you people believing everything you read on the internet makes it just that much easier for us who don't.


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