# best time



## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

when is the best time to introduce small cell? can i get bees into it in just one year or will it take two years?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I managed in one year by wax coating PermaComb, but if you are using wax foundation and you work agressively you can be MOSTLY regressed in one year and completely in two. Either by shakdowns or by agressive culling of brood comb.

If you just want to do a laid back approach you still might get done in two and for sure in three, just by swapping out brood comb for small cell foundation. Keep moving the honey frames on the outside out and move the frames to the outside and add foundation to the middle of the brood nest. If you start in the spring and keep doing that every three weeks or so, you'll get all the whole box swapped out that year. That's your first regression. Then the next year you do it again.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I'm sorry, first question, best time. Early spring would be the best time to start.

Also if you catch swarms they are often already regressed to smaller cell than 4.9mm.


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

how many frames can i put in every three weeks?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The bees will probably drive some of this and the nectar flow, but I'd guess you can put two frames in the middle and pull the two outside frames out and keep rotating until you have all small cell frames. Keep measuring the cells on the drawn comb to see if you've reached 4.9mm yet.


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

whitch method would you use? the swarms that we will put on this will be bees from a comercill beekeeper and he dose not use small cell


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I AM using the wax coated PermaComb. (I wax coat it). It is by far the simplest method, other than coating it. I tried shakedowns and I think they are too tramatic to the bees and too much work.

If you have a swarm, it's the same as a package and you already have the equivelant to a shakedown. I would just give them 4.9mm foundation and then move the combs with the bigger cells to the outside of the brood nest until they emerge and then pull them out.

If you're working with an established hive, I would pull the frames that are all honey out of the brood nest and put the emerging brood on the outsides and the empty frames in the middle and keep doing that until you get to 4.9mm.

I find the queens prefer the smaller cells to lay in.


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