Wonky Comb

This plastic frame is missing something so bees are making do. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Wonky Comb

It’s probably not a term one would find in any beekeeping book but “wonky” is a good description as any of what can happen to new Langstroh frames.

Honey bees have to first add wax comb to the frames before they have space to work to lay eggs, store pollen and honey. To do that, they build wax on frames copying the design imprinted on the frames.

To help get them started, the frames are usually covered with a layer of wax. When the wax is unevenly applied, the honey bees develop what I call “wonky comb.”

Better view of how the honey bees are drawing comb. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Wonky comb comes in a variety of interesting patterns. This frame on top has wax comb bees drew off three wax pillars they build on the original foundation.

The following frame is another example of how uneven wax coating will encourage bees to build uneven comb.

Another example of bees drawing comb away from frame. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Honey bees will also build this kind of wax comb when too much space is left between frames.

Now if this is comb they will use, I don’t remove it. If, however, these are frames I plan to extract the honey from later for my honey samplers, I do replace them and then add another layer of wax before re-using.

Frankly I find their construction amazing, don’t you?

Charlotte