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.
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 0.25 to 0.375 inches.
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.