How To Fix Wonky Comb / Beekeeping 101

[@GraemeGosse]

I love your teaching and the way you explain stuff...especially your funnies you throw in Keep up the great work Emily

[@ThePOTUSofMatthewEmbryBradshaw]

Do a follow up???!!!

[@maxmcneeley74]

I just pulled frames to spin them and a couple had the weird comb.I scraped the caps and spun them then took a scraper and scraped them clean.I only get a few of those.Nice video. Here in calif we have crazy mean killer bees.I don't like them at all.

[@peterdetchon]

Hey Emily, I really like your channel, Very good vids. Well Done. I'm 78 and been beekeeping here in Oz for 48 years. Started with a swarm which turned into over 1000 hives....and I am still learning! Today you taught me a new trick about wonky comb and introduced me to Humble Bee. Thanks.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

This is awesome!! It’s insane how much knowledge there is to learn in the world of beekeeping! Always a student ☺️ welcome to the community!

[@RogerBledsoe]

Emily, thank you for some great advice with the wonky comb. I read a few replys from other people and i just dont understand why people are the way they are.( professionals and bee suites) it would be great if bees were the same temperament every time you work them. Several times Ive checked my bees with just my hood, gloves and the top of the bee suite. I had on long jeans. Then out of the blue one day i had three bees crawl up inside my jeans and take the wrath out on me. So stay suited up and protect youself.

[@terrir8525]

I gotta say, you are touching on all the topics that I've never really seen discussed much in most other content. Much appreciated and good luck in your journey moving forward...keep em coming...great content!

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Thank you ☺️ there is still a lot in the beekeeping world that many don’t talk about so more to come for sure!

[@davidbock2863]

First year beekeeper here. I’ve been struggling with wonky comb as my two hives build out this year. Thanks for this video! Every other bee-youtuber shows these perfectly pulled foundation frames and I was beginning to think I was doing something wrong.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Haha nope bees are bees they will do as they please. Not every frame will be perfect and that’s okay! As long as you can attend to them without causing a mess or destroying anything then it’s all good!

[@alkebulanmylove5348]

Perfect advice! And what about the discord, link expired

[@michaeljoncour4903]

hi emily your theory on drawing out new combs sounds logical, however things aren't always as they seem. your ''wonky'' combs are the way they are because you shouldn't have put them in the brood nest unless they were getting LOTS of nectar coming in. bees do a better job on foundation in the super. if you are getting the problem of over extension of existing comb you should not have put foundation on the hive in the first place. i saw this problem on a video, a young man showing us this ,he said ''i watch and learn from the bees'' he had obviously learned nothing. in 55 yrs of beekeeping i have NEVER had these issues., and never put foundation amongst brood , let your strongest hives do the work. if you put foundation on at the right time, right place they will draw out evenly all over, when they are half drawn out you can transfer them to weaker hive to finish in brood nest or super. if honey flow cuts out you are best off to remove foundation ,it's too expensive to waste. if you really need those new frames when you are starting out in bees feed them HEAPS and monitor the job they are doing. new combs i extract carefully so they don't get damaged' then put in centre of brood nest., 99% worker cells..........

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Ahhhh good to know thanks for sharing. I will definitely keep that in mind!

[@naturalwitchery]

This reply was PRICELESS. Thank you❤

[@naturalwitchery]

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[@naturalwitchery]

Not I am not sure you will ever see this, but my question is: I tried to have them build foundation out in a second deep during a flow (😩), they built it and filled it with honey, even though I put a good brood piece in the middle. In spring, can I remove that drawn out frame (after these eaten it) and use it in the brood chamber of a split?

[@CrazyIvan865]

​@@naturalwitcheryprobably late. But if it's good straight comb, most certainly. You don't even have to let the bees consume it all, you cN just use it for a honey resource frame for a split.

[@stevenkawano9746]

OK first off LOVE the new intro! I was watching and I was like hold on...we have an Official Intro!😶😁👏Second, Loved the video u Really know ur stuff, I mean uve Always Impressed me with ur unBEElievable knowledge of bees but every new video I'm even more impressed so👏🐝👏Seems like Beekeeping is a lot like anything else it's all trial and error and like u said it seems to depend on the species of bee as well and Loved ur reaction to ur Italian/Michigan bee friends #theyrefun😂Happy Sunday and Great job again and Definitely can't wait for the next one, keep it up my Favorite Keeper ur doing Amazing at Life!☺️🐝👑💛👏#emilyisthebeesknees #honeyfit🍯

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Thank you ☺️ more exciting things are coming! Found out a couple days ago my bee business is getting a 5K grant so I’m about to double my numbers 😉🤯🎉 was a good reminder that hard times don’t last forever. There is always a great opportunity just around the corner!

[@stevenkawano9746]

@@beefitbeekeeping Oh my Gosh that is Amazing Congrats!!! Well Deserved for sure I'm so excited for U!😁Thanks for sharing the Good news and Yes bad times r like hills, some r steeper than others some u think r Never gonna peak, but the truth is No hill lasts forever and once u finally reach the top....u get to Enjoy the Beautiful views☺️Always here to Cheer ur victories my friend Well done, U are the hardest working person I know couldn't have happened to anyone more deserving I mean that☺️👏👑🐝💛👣👏🍯

[@sarashappyhives1828]

Definitely trying it out with my wonky comb problem, thank you!

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Let me know if it works for you! ☺️

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

For the future ,use white or gold color foundation .Bees love them.We do not even wax them ,just spray them with 1/1 sugar syrup and they start working.Do not forget.... in order to have your bee building comb, they need 8.5 lbs of honey for every 1 lb of wax.So never sale your wax, just grind it and put it on one tray and your bee will take it back in their hive.We have 2000 hives in Az and never sold the wax.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

I didn’t know you could put it on a tray for them to carry back! That’s great I will definitely do that!! Thanks ☺️

[@billc3405]

I dont think honey bees recycle bees wax. I like here more from Geani

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

@@billc3405 How much experience in Beekeeping do you have?How many hive do you own?! I do have 2000 hives in production here in Arizona.Also I do have 500 nucs for backUP.So if I tell something about beeKeeping, I done it,I got no reason to make up story.I am getting nowhere.

[@billc3405]

@@geanitsucuneli4791 i know thats why i wanted to hear more from you. I have 36 years on smaller scale i have never learned in any education or experience honey bees recycling bees wax. I feel if it was the case it would be very published.

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

@@billc3405 Hey I gave you my number why don't call me ?! I can get you some more information about bee.I was 45 weeks in University for Apiary, in Canada 12 years ago.So I am not here, to argue with you.You are just an amateur.When you get to my level ,we can argue ,until then don't read my advices ,if you do no believe .I am making Queens ,all year around ,in my own lab,I did sale over 3000 nucs in 2022/I did almond pollination ,in February to march for 35 days.Now I am growing 1500 nucs for someone from north. They are prepaid, for 10 frames deep ,Each. Good bye for now!

[@TexasBeekeeper]

Great video! I think you're spot on with your theory on wonky comb. Thanks for sharing

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Thank you! ☺️ glad to hear I’m not so crazy haha

[@albert4256]

քʀօʍօֆʍ

[@kathyw6635]

You were right on. I always have bees build new combs in the brood box and once they were built, I use them in the honey super. I only use 5 or 6 frames in a 8-frame honey super and they built the most fat honey frames I have ever seen, still hard to take them out. Thank you for sharing.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

I have yet to experiment with putting less frames in a honey super. Might try that out next! Thanks for making me feel less crazy 🤣 glad I’m not the only one who figured this out!

[@CrazyIvan865]

​@beefitbeekeeping I'd like to see a study on the size difference of drones reared on frames with a standard/Hoffman spacing (1.375"/35mm), versus Dadant (1.5") spacing. I've seen a few studies on the sizes of drones in relation to their "volume of vital essence" (in better words), their flight speed, forewing size in relation to body/mass, the differences in sperm protozoa and genetic "abnormalities" in the sper of larger drones (aka, potential for mutations. Aka, likelihood to cause another adaptation in evolution), etc... more or less, where popular concensus says "drone size doesn't matter", all the science seems to point to "YES, drone size DOES matter". 9 frames in. 10 frame box is just a fine hair over 1.5" or Dadant Spacing. But I have yet to be able to find a study comparing drone size on 1.5" spacing vs drones from 1.375" spacing. I can't help but wonder if the spacing may be causing smaller drones, which could explain why the bees ability to adapt to pests and pathogens seems to have been hindered over the past couple hundred years. IIRC, genetic and sperm protozoan abnormalities were around 9-11% in drone larger than the median size in mass, when compared to the 1.4-1.6% of the drones below the median size measured in mass (weight). And avolution is forged subtle genetic mutations. Both Michael Bush and Dave Cushman, and I think Randy Oliver as well, have a page where they go over the differences in comb sizes and spacing. And I know Michael Bush has a list of references from apiarians in the past who took measurements and surveys of comb thickness, spacing, cell sizes, etc. IIRC, drone comb ranges from 38-40mm center to center spacing, while worker comb is closer to 28-32mm center to center spacing. I'm in a Layens hive group on Facebook. Most people using Layens use a 1.5" frame width. Some people who use top bars use a 1.5" top bar (just for convenience, since 2× lumber is 1.5" thick). And in another group I'm in, some crazy guy is currently experimenting with 1.5" spacing in his brood boxes on a couple hives. But... look into Dadant spacing. Hoffman/Langstroth spacing is probably the most common. But the Dadant used to be fairly popular in Europe and the UK, especially back in the before you or I's time. What's the worst that could happen? The build it all wonky. Cool, Nadir a couple fresh boxes underneath, let them fill th the new boxes with brood and the wonkey boxes with honey, and take em off.

[@peterdetchon]

A small point about using pop sticks in foundation less frames....Use melted beeswax to hold them in the groove rather than glue. Oh ..and very important is also to use a spirit level to ensure that the hive is perfectly level, otherwise you will be performing comb surgery to separate conjoined comb twins!

[@beefitbeekeeping]

This is great! Yeah I’m not a fan of the glue bc I’m not really sure it’s safe for the bees especially if they start chewing it down like they like to do sometimes. Thank you for this message ♥️☺️

[@CrazyIvan865]

​@beefitbeekeeping this comment beat me to it. Something I would say is step 1: check plumb on hive. Use a level across the front, down the side, and corner to corner. Bees draw with gravity. Do if the hive is off level by just a few degrees, it can make a difference. I saw a picture the other day... whooo! Somebody is gonna have quite the time with those hives.lol. they were all kinds of cooked sideways and slanting every which way.

[@scotthenderson4376]

I have a box with cut out brood comb held in with rubber bands and after 3 months they still haven't filled it out the frame, they haven't really attached it either. I have new waxed frames in with the cut comb but they don't seem to like it either. Any ideas oh I also feed 1 to 1

[@beefitbeekeeping]

How quickly are they going thru that 1:1? Also where are you located? What have the temps been? And is the hive strong? Lots of new bees coming in?

[@kfuhrmann1]

Love your videos! And I love your suit- can you tell me where you purchased it or who manufactured it?

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Thank you! It’s made by HumbleBee the 420 Aero! I love it, and it’s surprisingly breathable and SUPER durable. There has been so many times that I swore it was going to rip but it never does!

[@dcsblessedbees]

Nice new intro, serious video beekeeping on its way :-) Bees are bees, wonky happens :-) fight the wonk :-) I see wonky comb as a blessing, it's the comb the bees happily made ME, they just didn't know it lol.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Really tho! I was actually very thankful I had that wonky comb today bc I had to cut out some open brood for an experiment I am trying out with another hive. Can’t cut cells out on plastic foundation. More reasons why I’ll probably do wax as much as I can. 😁

[@dcsblessedbees]

@@beefitbeekeeping All good :-) that's the best thing about beekeeping its all personal preference to a great degree.

[@heavymechanic2]

Can you explain how you like the Sakatraz breed because I have one colony in a mix of Italian & Carniolan hives. Moving toward the Carniolan type

[@beefitbeekeeping]

In all honesty..so idk if it’s too early to tell but I’m not happy with them. Might be too bc of where I got them, hard to ensure that you are getting just one genetic when you buy bees. But, mine have been really slow with building up comb and honey and they are supposed to be more mite resistant but I have seen some signs of PMS (parasitic mite syndrome) in a couple of them even tho they are brand new hives so they had a brood break..so we will see as time goes. I did have plastic foundations in these hives so that could be a factor bc it seems that my saskatraz also don’t like the plastic. Funny I’m actually thinking about getting carnies for my next expansion

[@heavymechanic2]

@@beefitbeekeeping Thanks, I read from other people that Sakatraz have more mites than typical bees, not what is advertised. In April I got a queen from QueenRightColonies to start a NUC and they are now in a double deep and a strong colony. Sakatraz are drawing Premier foundation as good as any other bee, I was feeding extra thin sugar to draw wax.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Hmmm must be the plastic then. More mites..yeah complete opposite from what they are advertised as. Happy to hear they are working out pretty good for you tho! ☺️

[@DennisKenneybees]

Bees don't like rubber bands and should only be used when rescuing colonies. A better method is to mash the wonky comp on the foundation and the bees will draw it out correctly.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

I’m curious..how would you approach comb with brood in it then?

[@DennisKenneybees]

@@beefitbeekeeping If it has brood in it, I leave it alone.

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

Get with Carniola ,very hard working bees.Early in the morning they get going to work.Italians are slow motion.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Carnies are the next breed I’m trying. I am not happy with my saskatraz. They are the complete opposite of what they are advertised as

[@geanitsucuneli4791]

@@beefitbeekeeping I never try Saskatraz.I had Russian just few family,italians but now none of them,I had Buckfast but they are gone too.Carniola got only 1 problem ,the Queen expend the family very quick.So you got watch them.Do the spleet, before they do it.So you can make a buss. saling bee meat(nucs)

[@ItzKatGramacy]

What brand is the bee suit that you use? It looks comfortable. Sorry if you already mentioned it, I'm new to your channel.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

No problem at all! It is made by HumbleBee the 420 Aero. It’s insanely comfortable and breathable. There have been a couple times that I would have sworn it was going to rip when getting caught on something but it never does. Super durable 🙂

[@beefitbeekeeping]

No problem at all! It is made by HumbleBee the 420 Aero. It’s insanely comfortable and breathable. There have been a couple times that I would have sworn it was going to rip when getting caught on something but it never does. Super durable 🙂

[@ItzKatGramacy]

Thank you so much! I'm ordering one now 😊

[@matthewww8521]

I started my bees from a package this year, they drew a bunch of wonky comb in the brood boxes at first, but are drawing out the super now, and seem to have gotten the hang of drawing it straight.

[@beefitbeekeeping]

If you used plastic frames where they waxed?

[@matthewww8521]

@@beefitbeekeeping they were plastic with the stingiest coat of wax possible applied to them. In hindsight I should've painted more wax on than they came with.

[@lindafox4065]

Needed this info. Thanks!

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Anytime ☺️ that’s what I’m here for

[@andyjagger3542]

What size rubber bands do you use?

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Just the regular size ☺️ Don’t want them to be too big or there won’t be enough tension to hold the comb in place.

[@andyjagger3542]

@@beefitbeekeeping OK Thank you for your help and great videos...keep it up

[@carolannjacques268]

Thanks!

[@beefitbeekeeping]

No, thank YOU! ☺️

[@DennisKenneybees]

I've never seen an experienced beekeeper who felt it is necessary to wear a complete bee suit. Most experienced beekeeper may wear a hood with a veil or even a bee jacket but never a complete hot suite even a ventilated one.

[@kfuhrmann1]

I watched many “professional” beekeeper videos, most comment on a sting here or there while keeping their bees…she is smart to protect herself! Plus, she may have reactions to the bee stings like I do…the sting isn’t so bad, but the itching at the sting site for the next two days is terrible! Don’t Judge..🫤

[@beefitbeekeeping]

Right on sister ♥️ yep if you saw my video about formic acid then you will see that no my body does not react well to stings. (Got stung in the neck) Used to be allergic so I’m trying to keep stings to a minimum. 🙂

[@UTsnowsailor]

Learn to bee kind DK!

[@mcdonaldfamily12]

Wear what makes you comfortable.

[@CharlesCromer]

Professional Beekeepers work fully suited all the time as they are doing it for a living and don't have time to be as cautious as a hobby beekeeper can be. So they have to be less gentle and get the job done as time = $$. So your statement is not only unkind, but uninformed.