# bees attaching comb from bar to bar



## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

I could be mistaken, but adding space between bars may exacerbate the problem. My [theoretical] understanding is that if you have space that's more than bee-space you get comb, and less than bee-space, you get propolis. As to exactly what to do about the burr comb, someone else will have to recount real experience.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Brace and burr comb*

Get used to it.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Hey Tim,

How are your hives doing? I believe you were getting some nucs from someone local there. Just wondering.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

odfrank said:


> Get used to it.


That I can do. If its no big deal. What about the burr comb. Should I just trim it back close to flush?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

We have year round flora available. Many of my hives look like this:










:


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Mine is not on the top of the top bars. On the pic attached in the top left there are bees working on the repairs. It's kinda hard to see on the pic, but it sticks out a 3/8" - 1/2" or so. And same on the other comb to which it was attached.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Derek1,
Wait a little while, you're gonna see way lots more of that kind of attachment.


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## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

Derek1 said:


> Hey Tim,
> 
> How are your hives doing? I believe you were getting some nucs from someone local there. Just wondering.


I only have one colony hived so far, and they seem to be doing very well. The beekeeper supplying the bees has apparently had a troublesome spring, and she's a little behind on the usual queen rearing schedule. Hopefully the remaining five nucs will show to have mated queens in them soon.

They seem to be fairly gentle...I opted to install the nuc, and later inspect them with only a half suit and no gloves. Yesterday I had to close up the hive midday for a crew of fence installers. This involved repeatedly opening and closing the hive for about 15 minutes to allow the gathering foragers to get back inside - this I did without any protective clothing at all.

Oh, and I guess what you have is technically "brace" comb, and not "burr" comb. I've _heard_ this could be a genetic disposition.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>On a couple of the bars they are attaching comb between combs towards the top. Kinda like a skywalk. Is this a big deal? Should I but a 1/4" spacer between the bars?

If the main comb is running down the center of the bar, I wouldn't worry about the burr. If there is a large piece of it I would cut it out. Small peices are just normal.

Unless the main comb is running down one side of the bar with more space on the other side, adding space will only make the problem worse. If the comb is no longer in the center, and is running over to the next bar, then adding 1/4" spacer will get them back on track.


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## leigh g (May 10, 2008)

*comb perpendicular to top bar direction - yikes!*

Hi Derek and other top bar folks- i have similar problems to Derek with burr comb, only a much bigger problem. 

I've had my bees for two weeks - today's going to be my second inspection (been traveling for business for a week, so the girls have been neglected). I took the bottoms off the hives and was peering up through the screened bottoms -kinda like a mechanic working on a car - I've already seen that one of my hives has three perfect, beautiful, parallel discs of comb spanning across 6 top bars. Basically they build in exaclty the wrong direction (for me, obviously not them! Wow. I guess I'm going to have to undo all the bees' hard work and take all that comb off the bars and start over. I'm nervous about disrupting the bees so much, and about getting right into the center of their brood - nervous about their well-being, that is.

Any advice would be much appreciated!
leigh g



Derek1 said:


> 1 thing I forgot to ask from my last inspection. On a couple of the bars they are attaching comb between combs towards the top. Kinda like a skywalk. Is this a big deal? Should I but a 1/4" spacer between the bars?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I've already seen that one of my hives has three perfect, beautiful, parallel discs of comb spanning across 6 top bars. Basically they build in exaclty the wrong direction (for me, obviously not them!

What do you have for comb guides?

I would build frames to fit the top bar hive and cut the combs and tie them into the frames like a standard cut out. Things should go fine after that. I'd do it ASAP.


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## Tomas (Jun 10, 2005)

Fixing comb like that, especially when it is new, can get kind of tricky. Usually a person can tie or sew the comb to the top bar, looping a string or frame wire through the comb and around the top bar several times. This works real well when the comb is darker and stronger from use by the bees. But new comb tears easily, especially if it is heavy with new brood. It also may start to sag leaving a gap at the top and making reattachment less than perfect.

Like Michael Bush says, a tbh frame will work great to tie in this comb--if you can build one (not everyone has good carpentry skills or maybe the time to make several of them).

Sometimes when taking one of my top bar trap hives out of a tree or transporting it in the truck, I accidentally bump it too hard and I get comb breakage (there is new comb in there and it’s fragile). What I have done at times in a situation like this is to make a type of sling to support the weight of the comb from the bottom in order to keep it up next to the top bar while the bees reattach it. The sling could be something as simple as cutting apart an aluminum soda can to get some sort of strip that can curve around part of the bottom of the comb and support it (a popsicle stick or tongue depressor might even work. Or maybe you could cut strips from a plastic bag that can be tied and support the comb in one shot—just thinking of other possibilities). Attach some string or something to the ends of the strips and tie it up to the top bar in a way so the comb stays snug against the center of the bar. The idea is to have something a bit wider at the bottom on which the comb can rest. You may squash some cells at the bottom but many times they are empty yet anyways. The good stuff (brood or honey) is usually at the top. Or you may just have to sacrifice a bit of eggs or larva for the good of the hive as a whole.

Later on you can remove it when the comb is attached well in the proper direction. Or you can just leave it (I’ve had it where the bees just continue building below it and it gets imbedded in the comb. It didn’t seem to bother the bees.)

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Tom


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## leigh g (May 10, 2008)

Thanks so much Michael Bush and Tomas for your advice!

For now I'll improvise some slings as suggested by Tomas, and I'll get started making a few top-bar frames for future use. 

Michael, to answer your question about comb guides: I made a quick center cut down each of the top bars, and filled it with melted beeswax. Do you think that a wooden strip might be better next time?

Again, many thanks! This is my first ever forum experience, and I am so grateful and excited for the chance to learn from online mentors like you!

Best, 
leigh g


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I made a quick center cut down each of the top bars, and filled it with melted beeswax. Do you think that a wooden strip might be better next time?

A wooden strip will work MUCH better. I'd have no faith in a bead of beeswax. It's how far it protrudes that makes it a guide. It should protrude at least 1/4".


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## jeep1977 (May 20, 2008)

*Same Problem*

Hi Derek,
I had the same problem with that top bar design. I even had a 1/4" ridge, and they still built sideways. 

For my second new hive, I built only triangles. I hived them last weekend, so I'm hoping they will build correctly.

Ryan


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