To Churn 'em Out

In the bee-keeping year I regret that there is no short-cut for this process.

I have an annual routine of replacing old combs in the hive. The advantage of this is that if the new beeswax foundation (which you saw me producing earlier) is put in the hive it gives the bees something to do.

There is considerable science underlying this remark. In the life cycle of the honey-bee the all young bees go through a period when they produce beeswax. This therefore gives them some work to do to produce new comb.

So here you see the old combs in their frames on the left. The comb is then cut out.

The new foundation is being added to the frame on the right.

Nine or ten of these frames can then go in each box on a hive.

Fun isn't it!