# Day 9 combs...



## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

Leave 'em be. Folks say they should have access to maybe 10 bars initially with a follower, when they build that out THEN you can be concerned with moving the follower and adding more bars.

"four more diminishing" - diminishing means to decline, surely you mean the opposite?


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## Cub Creek Bees (Feb 16, 2015)

They have comb started on 6 bars, the cluster is hemispherical, so the outer bars are staggered smaller. I had the queencage hung between two wax foundation strips- that's one of them pictured. The other bars have wood guides.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

If weather was warmer you could probably slip a bar in the middle but with night temps going to 20 they will cluster pretty tight, what they got may be all they can handle.

Are they being fed?


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

Congrats Buddy! Your first fresh white comb. You will always remember that one! :thumbsup:G


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## Cub Creek Bees (Feb 16, 2015)

Yes, they are pulling a quart of 1 to 1 every 2-3 days. It's got HBH, VitBH and Amino B. All three of my hive are bringing in pollen, but one is definitely not foraging as hard as the other two. It's lost about 1- 1/2cups of bees since I hived it. Two days after hiving we got down to 16°, I screwed up and broke the cluster around noon at 45°. I thought they had all frozen, they looked crusty and gray, not golden like the other two hives. The crusties had formed two clusters one on the queen and the other a foot away. Neither was touching the feeder. I moved the dead looking cluster and placed the feeder to the queen's, they started perking up. (I had warmed the syrup) The crusty looking ones had started moving in the sun, by two days later the two had combined and were looking promising.

I've already learned a lot in the first few days.


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## Cub Creek Bees (Feb 16, 2015)

biggraham610 said:


> Congrats Buddy! Your first fresh white comb. You will always remember that one! :thumbsup:G




Thanks, G! You are right - this is very cool. I'll be going in the third box tomorrow - it's in a different location and the strongest of the three. It is sitting in the middle of 50 acres of henbit and dead nettle w/ maple, and poplar coming on. And they are coming back with red legs!


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## Cub Creek Bees (Feb 16, 2015)

Third hive moving right along...


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

Cub Creek Bees said:


> Third hive moving right along...
> 
> View attachment 17122


:thumbsup: nice pic. G


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## msscha (Jan 4, 2014)

biggraham610 said:


> :thumbsup: nice pic. G


Ditto!


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## Cub Creek Bees (Feb 16, 2015)

...17 days since they were hived. I think I like this! 
I believe I'll wait until they emerge before I start doing anything with the nest. Lat night got down to 32 and we had frost on the cars. I don't want to chill anybody.











Is it just me, or do the two uncapped cells have a little different dimension than the others?


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## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

Beauty! Those two cells look larger to me. Drones??? Do they do that? I was under the impression that drone comb was kept separate and I can't say that I've spotted any when I'm looking in my hive, doh. Have to keep a lookout for that.

You really don't need to do anything until they've built out a half dozen bars or so, maybe not even then, other than to check that they're building nice and straight and that looks great so far. If your night temps are down to 32 it's probably not a good idea to leave a big open space in between two brood combs. Trust the bees, they know what they're doin', just make sure they've got some empty bars at the ends so they're not crowded.


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## Eric Crosby (Jan 4, 2015)

Those 2 look like drones to me! TBHivers love their drones! And Drones love TBHS ( and natural comb).


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