# comb stuck to sides of hive



## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

Try a Hoffman frame in a Langstroth hive... Sorry couldn't resist.


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## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

Rubber banding the comb keeps it straight. A hive tool is great for removal in your situation.


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## lobudget (Mar 8, 2015)

Kong said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> I have figured out how to straighten comb but I haven't figured out how to prevent comb from attaching to the sides of the hive. Is there a trick out there or is this just the way it is?
> 
> Thanks for any advice.


It just depends on the mood of your bees. I've found a long bread knife or a cake icing knife does a great job of easily removing side attachments. I actually prefer the bread knife as it is also strong enough to separate the bars during inspection. 

As the season has gone on they are going much lighter on the side attachment and if I slowly apply pressure the bar/comb will break away, but you have to develop a feel for it.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

its a part of life with a TBH


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## JustinH (Nov 11, 2013)

lobudget said:


> I actually prefer the bread knife as it is also strong enough to separate the bars during inspection.


Yep. And it's best to cut from the bottom toward the top. That way you're not putting strain on where the comb is attached to the bar. And go slow so the girls can move out of the way. I've cut a few in half.


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## Bees of SC (Apr 12, 2013)

Check out,,,Youtube Out of a blue sky...I use a long bread knife. Do like lobud & Justin said...


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## MartinW (Feb 28, 2015)

See videos on comb correction: https://m.youtube.com/user/OutOfaBlueSky

Good luck!


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## EvanS (Feb 27, 2015)

I use a thin bladed bread knife. You have to make sure it is as flat against the hive wall as possible, or you can cut bees in half. Since my knife is so thin I have had to start using a hive tool to separate the bars for inspection.


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## cgybees (Apr 20, 2015)

Making the sides at 120 degrees will help minimize attachments, supposedly. In my brood area where the comb is well established they haven't reattached after I cut it off the wall a few times.. in the honey area they still attach to the walls. It's a fair bit messier than working in a lang, just seems to be the way it is.


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## bamabeedude (Jun 2, 2015)

I had this problem the first two or three times I inspected my tbh this summer. I used my bread knife/hive tool to separate the comb from the side, just as others have said. I don't know if bees learn or not, but they have quit this behavior. Now if I could just train them to make honey mid-summer. 

P.S. The OutOfaBlueSky videos on YouTube are a great resource for learning the chores specific to tbh.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I found that going in my hive once a week to every 10 days helped me keep on top of the attachments and cross combing. If I do get a little attachment to the side, it's minimal by the time I'm getting back in the hive and I can just give the bar a slight twist as I pull up and it comes free. Then I take my 5-in-1 paint tool (which is my hive tool) and scrape the wood or glass free of the wax.


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## Apismellifera (Oct 12, 2014)

As others have said, my experience has been that after the comb is "complete" and has been cut a few times they leave it be. Could be variable by your bee family...


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## Jon Wolff (Apr 28, 2013)

All my hives now have the 120 degree or greater slope. I have one hive that has never attached comb to the sides the five years I've had it while others will, but only an inch or so near the top, which makes me think that genetics plays some part in it. A couple of years ago I had two hives with 110 degree slopes, and the bees attached the comb almost the whole length of the wall. It was a real pain to do an inspection. Those are now bait hives. 

When I cut attachments, I try to smoosh the edges away from the wall and smooth the comb. That seems to keep them from reattaching. I find that they only attach early on but once established, attach very little, if at all.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

When you cut a bar free from the sides make sure you clean up the mess or the bees can't resist re-building it and repair it. Use your hive tool and scrape the side clean. Move several bars and clean up. After a while they get trained. (lol)


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