Hoe to get bees to make straight combs in top hives?

[Bees & Beeks]

After 3 unsuccessful attempts with placing swarms in my top hive. I put in a frame of wet brood (eggs & larvae) lengthwise to keep a swarm from leaving. Thanks Deb for your catch box bees - they are extremely gentle. After a week I took out the frame, since there was no Queen cells made I assume the swarm already had a Queen. I had to cut down funky grown comb but left them inside hive as I assumed correctly they had brood in them. I also pulled out divider top so bees can get inbetween comb guide log and top cover, because ants were bringing in eggs to start a nest there.

Last Thursday in my hive checks before rain, the bees once again built out very funky combs some lengthwise, others along multiple comb guide logs. The comb guide is NOT guiding properly! How can I get bees to form straight comb so I can inspect properly? What can I use re-attach comb to logs?

In a week or two I can split/extract some comb or into a Langstroth frames (including combs on the bottom) to give bees more room. How can I encourage bees that are left to build out in straight line?

Here’s some pics.

[Robin Chatham]

Ok that's  a big mess.  

1. If you want to save/reuse sheets of comb they built and as you said,  have brood in them, here's what you can do. 

Take an unused top bar (I think you're calling it a log), strap a big ponytail clip to the underside.

Cut a sheet of misdirected comb and clip it to the new top bar, wahlah. 

Do that to each sheet of comb you want to relocate. 

2. Now that you have sheets of comb heading the right direction,  bees will continue building them straight down. 

Go in every other day and push them into a better direction if you see them going cattywampus.

3. The bars that you cut the sheets of comb from are left with wax remnants.  Great, that will encourage them to start drawing comb on those bars.

Go in every other day and press them into proper alignment. 

3. Did you know I have a YouTube Channel? @KeeperOfTheWildBees 

You've got a common predicament many topbar keepers run into and others could benefit from learning a solution. 

Id be willing to come over and help you sort this out and

Id like to film it for my channel. 

If youd like to...give me a call 925-858-9760 Robin The Beekeeper 

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[Bees & Beeks]

Thanks Robin!  I texted you.  And big thanks to Brian Dunstan for the top bar hive.  Yes this is the same hive that was posted here and I picked up late Jan.   A decade later and I’m still learning new things about beekeeping.  

Bee Friendly,

Mimi 

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On Apr 11, 2026, at 10:22 PM, Robin Chatham <angel202...@gmail.com> wrote:



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