# General beekeeping > Everything and anything >  dumb y board query

## chris

When preparing for winter, if a colony is small, I always add a dummy board and some insulation in the empty space.I use wool, and this obviously provides loads of pockets of air.So I'm wondering :Embarrassment:  Drawn comb is simply pockets of air with wax instead of wool. And in between 2 frames of drawn comb, there is a narrow air space.So, does wax have a good insulation value? If so why not just put fully drawn comb instead of a dummy board? And my dummy boards always seem a bad fit so there is an air gap at the bottom whether its a frame or a board.

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## Jon

I have home made dummy boards of all shapes and sizes made from correx and polystyrene.
I usually don't leave any space behind the dummy board but on occasion I put a comb or two there.
One of my 11 frame brood boxes has been reduced to 4 or 5 frames by filling the remaining space with dummies.
Yes I know, it might as well be in a nuc box.
I have a couple reduced to 10 frames with a single dummy board and two or three reduced to 8 frames.
I just play it by ear in October and reduce the area if the colony looks to be a bit small.
Some people I know leave a couple of supers on but I can't imagine they have bees which need that much space.
Less is more in my book and then start giving extra space in March or April as the colony starts to expand.

Don't know about the insulation value of wax but it is certainly better than leaving the space empty.

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