This is especially obvious in spring, when the key essential duty of a colony is to raise brood - an overwintered colony is focused on growth and needs maximum space for brood rearing. Until there is comb, the colony cannot function completely. Having drawn comb in the hive means that the bees have space to perform all their essential duties. Why is drawn comb so important? We all know that bees need comb for every key function in the hive: They raise young in the brood comb, they communicate on the comb dance floor, they use the comb to pack tightly in a winter cluster, and of course they use comb for processing and storing honey. If you do have drawn comb, one of your top priorities should be to keep your drawn comb safe. If you don’t have drawn comb, your main goal should be to get your foundation drawn as fast as possible. After every talk, the main question that I get has been, “What do we do if we don’t have drawn comb?” This question amazes me, because I can’t believe how many beekeepers are making it through their first (and sometimes second or third years) without learning one of the most important lessons of beekeeping: Drawn comb is gold. I’ve been giving a ‘live’ version of that article all over the country - talking to bee clubs through zoom to make sure beekeepers everywhere aren’t going to lose their valuable overwintered bees to the trees (or to their neighbor’s soffits). ![]() ![]() In April I wrote about methods for swarm control. Plain Talk Beekeeping: The Basics … and then some.
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