Frames

[Tricky]

I'm sure this question has been asked, but since I'm new I'll ask it anyway. Is it okay to plastic and wood frames in the same super or hive body? Also which is better? Thanks

[Jim134]

Boy you have opened a big can of worms with this one. :evil:

   All I use as wood,brass eyelets,wire and wax (some time) on the frames. Some will say I'm old school. :brian:


 I use the principle KISS a lot.
 

 This is the KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complex, therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.


   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[Robo]

Yes it is OK.

I personally do not like plastic frames as they flex too much,  especially when full of honey.  If you use frame grips,  the flexing and the lack of gripping of the plastic has caused me to drop too many frames.

If you want to use plastic foundation, do yourself a favor and use wooden frames with them.  This is my preference.

[FRAMEshift]

As long as you like wooden frames and you like plastic frames, there is no problem mixing the two in the same box.  The issues you are hearing raised are preferences about the frames themselves.  Mixing is fine.

[backyard warrior]

i agree about the plastic they are too flimsy i like the wooden frames and plastic foundation myself .  Chris

[BlueBee]

The bees will build on just about anything you put in a super, or for that matter any open space you leave!  Don't leave open space  ;)

I have mixed all plastic and wood numerous times.  Bees don’t really care, but I do find my bees tend to comb up certain frames quicker than others.  I’m sure this varies from bee to bee or keeper to keeper.  Like everyone else, I like the wood frames with plastic foundation.  It’s a much more rigid design.  I like the plastic foundation since it is easy to scrape down in the event of a pest infiltration (ie wax moths). 

On the other hand all plastic does work, is very cheap, and you don't have to build the frames.  Mostly comes down to personal preference.

[ajharwood]

I have been told this and have experienced it myself.  With the plastic frame there is voids that the wooden frames don't have.  Hive beetles get in there and hang out.  The bees can't get to them to push them out into the traps.

[Tricky]

Thank everyone for the advice. I gonna have to make a order soon to accommodate some nucs I'm purchasing.

[Vance G]

You can freely mix them after they are drawn.  The plastic mann lake frames can be bought unwaxed much cheaper than you can put together a wood one and foundation of any kind.  I have no problem dropping full frames.  I extracted 14 deeps of them this fall and they were fine in all respects.  When the foundationless frames beside them blew out, the plastic frames were knocked flat but unharmed.  I don't have shb thank GOD so they are an easy choice for me.

[Michael Bush]

Myth:  You can’t mix plastic and wax.

This is not so much a myth as an over simplification. Putting undrawn plastic in with undrawn wax is like putting a piece of cherry pie and a bowl of broccoli in front of your kids at the same time. If you want them to eat the broccoli, you should wait to put out the cherry pie. If you mix wax and plastic foundation, the bees will jump on the wax and ignore the plastic. If you put in all plastic they will use it when they need comb. There is no great impending disaster if you mix them. They just have their preferences and if you want them to follow your preferences you should limit their choices. Once it is drawn comb or comb that is being used, you can mix it freely with everything with no problems.  Myth:  Dead bees headfirst in cells have starved. This is a commonly held belief. All dead hives over winter will have many bees with their heads in cells. That's how they cluster tightly for warmth. I would read more into whether or not they are on con-tact with stores.

[FRAMEshift]

Myth:  Dead bees headfirst in cells have starved. This is a commonly held belief. All dead hives over winter will have many bees with their heads in cells. That's how they cluster tightly for warmth. I would read more into whether or not they are on con-tact with stores.

Exactly right.  It's been so warm this winter that our bees have no problem with access to honey.  But we did lose one hive because it superseded the queen too late and the virgin did not have a chance to mate.  So the hive gradually dwindled and died.  But at the end there were bees head down in cells and surrounded by lots of capped stores only inches away.  They did not starve.   

[CapnChkn]

The whole idea of placing plastic frames in is to keep the longevity.  To use plastic Foundation is to give support to an otherwise iffy construction material.  Beeswax is amazing stuff, but has its limits.  If it's frames, you can pretty much get away with it no problem.  Bees build in just about anything.  As Jim says, K-eep I-t S-imple, S-tupid.  Or for those of us who think in other terms, Occam's Razor.   :lau:

That's just a fancy way of saying that one should "cut away" at the flamboyant, excessive, and elaborate to leave a simple explanation.  You may have heard it as "The simplest answer is often the best answer."

I have plastic, wooden, plastic foundation, wax strips, wax foundation, and wood strips on my hives.  They don't care what frame they're building in.  They use the plastic foundation grudgingly, and love the wax strips and foundation.  I've been having problems with the wooden strips, they seem to like to build it all funny there.  I'm continuing with those just because and will see the advantages as I gather more data.