Excess comb

I started keeping bees last year. I overwintered my colonies with one deep and one shalloow super. All my bees survivesd the winter, however, I have found that in many colonies, they have built comb between the top bars of the brood chamber and the bottom bars of the top super. It is impossible to remove the top super without destroying these cells. some are filled with honey and the bees go crazy when these are broken open. Others are filled with what I presume to be drone brood. Is this common? Does this indicate I need to give them some foundation to build on? What can be done about it?

You wrote:
I have found that in many colonies, they have built comb between the top bars of the brood chamber and the bottom bars of the top super. It is impossible to remove the top super without destroying these cells. some are filled with honey and the bees go crazy when these are broken open. Others are filled with what I presume to be drone brood. Is this common?
Reply:
This scenario is proably more common then many beekeepers admit to.
You wrote:
Does this indicate I need to give them some foundation to build on?
Reply:
Not necessarily.Though you probably do need to clean the frames now, and respace/regap them with a new active year coming on.
You also added:
What can be done about it?
Reply:
First of all, again in different words,you need to look at your bee space in your colonies.
Most beekeepers know about bee space between the frames and the importance of it, but bee space, normally about 3/8 inch, is also very important between the top bars and the bottom bars between supers/boxes.
To great a gap and the result is burr comb as you are seeing and accompanying drone brood, which now needs to be cleaned.
regards,
Dee A. Lusby

Originally posted by trdirtfarmer:
I started keeping bees last year. I overwintered my colonies with one deep and one shalloow super. All my bees survivesd the winter, however, I have found that in many colonies, they have built comb between the top bars of the brood chamber and the bottom bars of the top super. It is impossible to remove the top super without destroying these cells. some are filled with honey and the bees go crazy when these are broken open. Others are filled with what I presume to be drone brood. Is this common? Does this indicate I need to give them some foundation to build on? What can be done about it?

Thank you for your help.
You wrote: Most beekeepers know about bee space.
I am aware of the concept of bee space. I didn't think about the space under the frames. The super is one I built myself and I am no joiner. I may have built the super too deep. I need to remeasure that super.
Thanks again for your prompt, helpful response.
trdirtfarmer

Hi Again:
You wrote:
I am aware of the concept of bee space. I didn't think about the space under the frames. The super is one I built myself and I am no joiner. I may have built the super too deep. I need to remeasure that super.
Reply:
The super you build may be fine in depth as built. So check also the depth of the frame rest the frames are sitting on, as many times they are/can be cut too deep and the frames set resessed down to low (something else to look at.
Could be one or the other or combination of both.
Regards,
Dee A. Lusby