BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > DOWN UNDER BEEKEEPING
who uses plastic frames?
OzBuzz:
I use plastic foundation in timber frames - i'm thinking of going plastic foundation for the honey supers but wax foundation for the brood nests... I've had hassles with the bees not drawing out the plastic foundation any where near as quickly as the wax foundation...
BlueBee:
I use plastic foundation in wood frames. That avoids the crevice problems and the warping problems with the all plastic frames. I really like the plastic foundation when it works. Much easier to deal with problems and scrape off bad comb with plastic in the middle.
I’ve used 2 brands here in the US, one brand the bees readily combed up, the other brand (small cell) they would not touch. I finally took the advice of some guys here in the forum and rolled more bees wax on the ones the bees didn’t touch. That did the trick, they combed it up beautifully (and quickly). Yes, it is a pain to have to put your own wax on the plastic, but it works.
Mardak:
Plastic foundation in wood frames works a treat after the first season, some down her roll on molten wax, some paint of syrup. No particular correct or incorrect way as long as the bees draw comb. Extracting a treat as the foundation does not collapse as readily in some other wax foundation types. Both systems work well, probably depends upon personal preferences.
ScoobyDoBee:
I am working in small cell frames when I can. Here's an odd thing I noticed - the all plastic frames were the only ones with eggs in them! And they were fully drawn out when others weren't. Go figure. I did paint on some of their own wax - maybe it smelled fresher?
I do see all of those crevices. Maybe that is why I saw a bee intently examining one. Wonder if they could be filled with something.
I have only found the small cell in all plastic frames. :(
Lord Viykor:
I got some two piece plastic frames today, you unclip them with your hive tool and insert the wax foundation. They should work well, there is a couple of small gaps the shb could try to get into. I guess you could seal it with bees wax.
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