The Mirror Hive, Part 2

Many of our new hives have seen problems with the beeswax foundation sagging, dislodging from the frames and connecting with eachother or the walls of the hive.  This was in part due to the bees crowding a single frame at a time and having their weight deform the sheet.

Bummer.

 You can see in this picture the foundation, covered with bees, peeling the off the frame.

I am reticent to cut out this funky comb at this point as it is full of eggs and larvae.  So I am encouraging others to leave it bee for now and concentrate on the frames that have been untouched so far.  Here is the fix, which secures the top of the foundation sheet to the topbar to avoid the sag.

Here is a frame without reinforcement:

Looks nice but not structurally strong

Take a two craft sticks, one on each side of the sheet, and jam them in:

It will be a tight fit, and will hold the wax sheet in place until the bees secure wax to the top bar.  A drop of super glue on each stick provides insurance.

Or you can go foundationless on your second box, using this updated design:

http://dchoneybees.blogspot.com/2011/04/rhode-island-apiary-new-foundationless.html

If there is no wedge bar, you can glue craft sticks into the groove and they will provide a similar result.