BBKA Forum

Put mouse guards on each hive and strapped them down ready for the windy weather. Will have to wrap in chicken wire if the weather gets colder and the ground gets frozen as I have green woodpeckers near by. Fingers crossed they get through the winter successfully.

Had a peek on my big hive with the new queen after giving them a clear crown board yesterday. Took the opportunity while removing overdue Apitraz strips.

Your top bars are very clean! A nice photo.

Thanks Adam, this hive is housing the swarm I caught this year. Only one old frame in there, the rest are 2019's

Yep, I can see the old frame - and you are using DN5's for the rest with a wider top bar.
In theory the wider top bar reduces brace comb being build between them - however I've never really see any difference between them and DN4's. The wider top bar also means that the ones at the side tend to get stuck to the side of the hive - as yours is.
Did you chose the DN5's - and do you notice any difference compared to DN4's?

(Unless you have 14 x 12's which always have the wider top bars)?

Checked hives today and on two I had forgotten to remove the eke and apiguard tray, managed to just pry off the apiguard tray but left the eke in situ as ivy flow has been good this year and they have not only filled by the look of it the super underneath but also the eke with wild comb solid with ivy. Placed insulated clearer boards on top.

AdamD wrote: ↑

13 Nov 2019, 16:28

Yep, I can see the old frame - and you are using DN5's for the rest with a wider top bar.
In theory the wider top bar reduces brace comb being build between them - however I've never really see any difference between them and DN4's. The wider top bar also means that the ones at the side tend to get stuck to the side of the hive - as yours is.
Did you chose the DN5's - and do you notice any difference compared to DN4's?

(Unless you have 14 x 12's which always have the wider top bars)?

Good spot Adam, I am using DN5s. I picked them mainly from what I found on Dave Cushman's website. Apparently DN4 attract brace comb and DN5 are recommended so I went for them. Same reason I went for SN4. That's it really.

All brood frames I bought are DN5, for all my hives - although I don't know what the frames I inherited are (there are 6 from the nuc I was gifted). It's possible I am using two types of frame here. Would 9 x DN5s and then a DN4 at each end help with the end frames being stuck to the sides?

If I get another hive I may try DN4s. Would be interesting to see what everybody here on the forums uses and if those frame designations are any different to when they first started.

I have DN5’s (which for anybody wondering) is the same standard BS frame as a National DN4 just with a marginally wider top bar. I have them on at least one Commercial and a National I think.

There is not a lot of brace comb I have observed on either to be fair. They are more expensive for only a tad more wood. Apart from that can’t say I feel hugely disadvantaged by most of my colonies being on slightly narrower DN4 top bars, so not sure others missing out by not using them.

(X)N4's throughout purely for the sake of uniformity.
And not that they are first to the sales bins where you get them for pennies each.....

I've got Hoffman clips on the old inherited '1's until the comb gets unusable then they become smoker fuel and the empty ones are first in line for experimental dabbles.

I've been told self spacing frames are more prone to squishing bees but I've been gentle anyway and have not achieved it yet.

Off on a tangent sorry JP, I cleaned up the old unused frames and gave them the NbU (there you go Patrick) specified bleaching as a precaution.
I boiled them first and this I know destroys the wax.It leaves a light grey residue on the timber
Is this still attractive to wax moth?

I doubt wax moth would find enough to feed on from the residue. Well, they haven’t on mine anyway.

Old DN1 non Hoffman frames are quite handy to glue and clamp together to make fat dummy frames. Just face off the sides and bottom, job done.