Fixing Comb in Brood Nest

[luvin honey]

Rather than hanging on the shirttails of other's topics, I thought I would post here.

In both of my topbar hives, I messed up by leaving space open on installation. One hive really had fun and made a mess of it.

I went in last night and cut down double combs, attached (to another) combs and too-big, wide combs. There were 3 sizable chunks of broodnest that I took down.

Here are my questions:

1. Is the main importance cleaning this up so that I can inspect easily when I go in?

2. Will the bees use this brood nest over and over and over? So, the sooner I get them doing it orderly, the better?

3. I didn't know what to do with the brood I took down so propped it up against the back walls of the hive, near the feeder and follower board. Is that okay? Can they keep it warm enough to hatch? Will the queen find it and lay in it again?

[G3farms]

need to take that chunk of brood and hang it from one of your empty or partially drawn out top bars. the bees will attatch it and still use it.

yes they will use the comb over and over, it will go from a white comb to almost black over the years, depending on how long you leave it in there.

yes the reason is to be able to inspect with ease, they need to be somewhat "crowded" or they will build wild comb on their own.

hope this helps you and other will chime in that know more than me.

G3

[luvin honey]

g3--love your signature line 

I can see I am going to need to get some frames built to fit my top bar and then rubber band in these mess-ups.

Do you (or anybody) ever try tying it onto the top bar without using a frame? Also, exactly where/how does a person do this without ticking off the bees or chilling the brood? Right at the hive?

Thanks for helping a newbee with all these questions!

[G3farms]

well I'm not a top bar guy, but grandma-dog had a video of using hair clips that had wire ties fastening them to the top bar. Open the hair clip and insert the comb and the spring tension would hold it in place until the bees attached it to the top bar.

somone else had a pic of a top bar they had cut a long thin strip of wood and bowed it from end to end of the top bar so as to fit comb into it.

G3

[G3farms]

here is grandma-dog's video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpbs0go2KAs

G3

[Vibe]

g3--love your signature line 

Ain't it amazing which song lyrics make their impression on folks? 

I can see I am going to need to get some frames built to fit my top bar and then rubber band in these mess-ups.

Do you (or anybody) ever try tying it onto the top bar without using a frame?

I simply leaned these "wild" brood combs in an open area of the super above the queen excluder. I'll clean those frames up later when I rob it. But I don't sling the honey to harvest it. Right or wrong, I just cut what I rob out of the frame, leaving an inch or so on the top bar, put it in a pot on the stove and melt the comb off. The wax settles to the top when it cools. The bees don't seem to mind building more comb on the pre-existing comb that gets left - after they clean off what honey is left.

Also, exactly where/how does a person do this without ticking off the bees or chilling the brood? Right at the hive?

Thanks for helping a newbee with all these questions!

Bees are going to get "ticked off" some times, sometimes not - that's what the protective gear is for . I've only been dong this for....This will be my 2nd year. I don't know a thing about broods getting chilled, but I don't figure that the brood can get any colder in the few minutes it takes to do this on a warmish day, than what they would get in the hive on a 40° night.