Comb Tied Into Frames

When I remove comb from a hive I attempt to orient it the way it was in the hive.  Outside comb in the hive goes to the outside of the box and I attempt to keep it in order and up and down as it was.  This is not always possible but the bees will adapt.  It is easier if they do not have to adapt.  I tie in the comb with rubber bands if  the piece is wide and deep enough to fill the frame.  If it does not fill the frame I will also use cotton string to tie it close to the top of the frame so the bees can reattach it.

I had been out of town most of the last 10 days and this is what I found when I checked the Elmer's Bees hive yesterday. Lots of rubber band and string pieces on the ground.  The water moat had dried out too.

After filling the water I scooped the string and rubber bands plus other stuff out of the moat.  It did not look like the ants had made a major assault on the hive as they often do this time of the year.

When I went out later the bees had pulled out another piece of rubber band.

 

That odd piece of comb is some that was in the original hive.  I am not sure if that was inside the hive or I dropped it there.  I did add a feeding shim on top to give them some of the honey from their original hive.  I may have left it in the shim and the bees removed that too.  They are good housekeepers.

By this next morning the rubber band piece was gone from the landing area. 

In the next day or so I will inspect this hive.  I need to remove the feeding shim on top and these bees are very active.  I may have to add another super to the hive.

My other hive is now five supers tall and they have always been active.  It is possible the top frame is getting full.  If that has happened there is a great chance that I will have my first real honey harvest this year.  This hive, The Twitchy Bees, have been here for well over two years.  Last year I left a super full of honey so they would over winter easily.  It is time to pay the Beek!