Burr comb
In beekeeping, in a Langstroth hive, burr comb and brace comb and bridge comb are portions of comb built by the bees in other places than in the intended place in the frames.[1][2][3]
Burr comb and brace comb and bridge comb can be avoided or minimized by keeping the width of all internal spaces inside the hive to the "bee space" limit of 1⁄4 to 3⁄8 inch (6.4 to 9.5 mm).
A common place for burr comb is on top of frames, particularly if the hive has been assembled with a void above the frames.
If a frame is too shallow top-to-bottom for the level of the hive that it has been put in, the bees may build comb hanging from the bottom of that frame to fill the available space.
Brace comb and bridge comb can be a nuisance if they join together hive parts which should stay separate.
Care should be taken when removing burr comb, because sometimes burr comb may contain brood, including sometimes queen brood, or the adult queen bee may be on it.
References
- "Beekeeping/Glossary - Wikibooks, open books for an open world". En.wikibooks.org. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- "The Science of Bees - Honey Bee Suite". Honey Bee Suite. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- "What is Burr Comb and How to Control it?". Beekeepinginsider.com. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
External links
- Google search for images
- Example of burr comb, built out from a frame of comb into an adjacent void where a frame had been removed and not replaced