# What to do with this cross combed colony



## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

My thought it that you just let them arrange the comb this late in the season however they best can. And then feed them heavily. Bees in my area don't draw out too much comb this time of year as compared to spring. I'd just try and see if they survive the winter and then go re-arrange their house come spring time when they are able to patch the comb up better.


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## ChuckReburn (Dec 17, 2013)

ruthiesbees said:


> My thought it that you just let them arrange the comb this late in the season however they best can. And then feed them heavily. Bees in my area don't draw out too much comb this time of year as compared to spring. I'd just try and see if they survive the winter and then go re-arrange their house come spring time when they are able to patch the comb up better.


Agreed. Occasionally I'm compelled to clean up the comb in a hive this time of year and I kick myself for it. It's much easier to let them move out of it and remove/fix when they are in comb drawing mode in the spring. In the spring you absolutely need to stay on top of comb building in a TBH - get a few good straight combs and the rest will follow.


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## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

The spacers make it easy to get everything back together - much easier to place the bars then ease in the spacer than try to squish the bars together.

Also makes it uber easy to treat with an oa dribble - just lift 'em and dribble - no scootching bars.

But I'm inclined to agree with Ruthie - this time of year just let 'em bee.


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## ogfd15 (Aug 28, 2015)

Then that's what I'll do, just let them be bees for now! Thanks for your response everybody!


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## Jim7310 (Jun 29, 2014)

I have had good luck moving cut out combs to a top bar hive using the rescue bars described here: http://www.thegardenacademy.com/BK_-_Rescue_Frames.html. With curved combs I just bend them straight and hook them on the bars - this gives the bees a good chance to reattach the combs straight and to continue building straight comb. If they have already started to attach the combs to the bars in your hive I would agree with the others in that leaving them to try to survive the winter is best. However, I would make some of these rescue bars and be prepared to cut out the cross-combed mess in the spring.
Jim


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## Jon Wolff (Apr 28, 2013)

I'm not sure I would wait to correct the cross combing. In the spring, the queen will be laying a lot of eggs in those combs. Correcting them then will possibly mean killing a lot of brood if you have to cut through combs. The combs will be heavy and it's a lot more awkward handling heavy combs covered with bees than lighter combs with fewer. Doing it now, or even later in the fall when the queen has reduced laying and more comb is empty and light will be easier for you and for them, plus you won't have the large population of bees to deal with. 
I've used the rescue bars mentioned above successfully with seasoned combs and have some right now on hand, but I've come to use this method. It's very easy and holds comb better, especially softer comb, than the wire. You simply cut long strips of cardboard, staple them to one side of the bar, lay the comb on them, bend the cardboard around the comb and staple to the other side. The bees will attach the comb to the bar in days and remove all the cardboard.


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## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

Cardboard! Perfect! Brilliant! Thanks for letting us in on that.

Easy, free, and a material the bees can deal with as they will.


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## ogfd15 (Aug 28, 2015)

Thank you Jon for the input!


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## msscha (Jan 4, 2014)

Jim7310 said:


> I have had good luck moving cut out combs to a top bar hive using the rescue bars described here: http://www.thegardenacademy.com/BK_-_Rescue_Frames.html.
> Jim


A beek on the top bar FB uses this same method but with 2 pieces of wire mesh, essentially forming a clamp -- sort of combines the best of hair clip (which failed miserably for me) and your rescue bar. With comb that is heavy or if one doesn't have really strong hardware cloth, the double method seems to work really well.


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## ogfd15 (Aug 28, 2015)

Today I checked on the hive to refill the feeder and had several dead bees between the feeder and the follower board. The jar feeder does leak some and puddle up at the follower board. This had crystallized and there were probably 20 dead bees around it and a few that were sickly looking. Also, in the front of the hive and under the combs, there were several dead bees, maybe another 20. This is the most dead bees I've seen since the initial moving. I would have thought it was possibly drowing, but then the ones under the combs make me question that. I don't know enough about pests yet, but I didn't see any obvious mites, beetles or worms. Ideas?


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## ogfd15 (Aug 28, 2015)

I've been noticing some fighting outside the hive this week. Today, while refilling the inside feeder, I saw several bees quarreling on the bottom of the hive. I've prob seen 40-50 dead bees this week on the bottom of the hive(see post directly above). Is this drones being kicked out or robbers? I know drones are supposed to be bigger, but I guess I'm just not experienced enough to tell the difference yet.


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