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Author Topic: langley frames  (Read 2522 times)

Offline junkman12

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langley frames
« on: February 14, 2014, 07:35:36 pm »
? i don't have a hive but thinking about it and i was wondering do you have to use foundation in your frames in your hives i remember when i was a boy my papaw took a knife and cut the honey comb and all out and i remember he had what look like a Langley hive

Moots

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Re: langley frames
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2014, 08:47:24 pm »
? i don't have a hive but thinking about it and i was wondering do you have to use foundation in your frames in your hives i remember when i was a boy my papaw took a knife and cut the honey comb and all out and i remember he had what look like a Langley hive

junkman,
Welcome to the forum, I think you mean a langstroth hive, unless your pawpaw worked for the CIA.  :laugh:

In general, you have three choices...You can use wax foundation, plastic foundation, or go foundation-less.  They also make some wax foundation specifically for if you want to make comb honey.  All have their pluses and minuses, you can read plenty of discussions about the pros and cons of each here on the forum.

I'm still a newbie, just a little over a year into it.  Up to this point I've only used wax foundation.  Out of curiosity, I'm going to try some Pierco plastic this season...Probably will eventually give foundation-less a serious try but wanted to get a few years under my belt first.

Offline junkman12

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Re: langley frames
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2014, 12:51:38 pm »
so do you just put empty frames in right and maybe a little wax along the bottom of the top frame and they will do the rest im a newbi and plan on starting up this summer if possible ill be moving this summer so i will have a lot to do but if i dont get started this year i will be ready next year i just remember a small part about bee keeping when i was a boy i remember my papaw taking a shot gun and shooting a branch down that had a swarm in it and landed on a white sheet but at that point i was like forest gump i went to running at that point
appreciate your reply thanks   

Offline Joe D

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Re: langley frames
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2014, 01:29:00 am »
There are some foundationless frames.  I used regular frames cut a paint stirring stick cut in half the long way.  Then I hot glue them in the groove with a few drops.  They will build on them.  If after you harvest  the honey, by cutting the comb out, if you leave just a little on the top they will rebuild.  If you extract it then they don't have to rebuild the comb and can fill it back up quicker.  Good luck




Joe

Moots

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Re: langley frames
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2014, 10:59:05 am »
junkman,
You can buy foundationless frames, or you can use regular frames as Joe describes.  One of the tricky parts of foudationless is getting the bees to draw the comb straight and proper.  While making sure that your hive is level helps that cause greatly, I think unanimous consent is that the best way is to stagger foundationless frames in between frames of drawn comb...this allows them to use the drawn comb as a guide when drawing the foundationless frame out.

Problem with this approach, as a newbie, you won't have any drawn out comb to use as a guide and using frames with foundation won't work as I understand it.

Again, do what you want, and I've never attempted foundationless, but I do know that as a newbie there is plenty of other stuff to worry about, be overwhelmed with, and learn as a beginner without worrying about trying to correct and straighten wacky comb.  Just my 2 cents, but I'd concentrate on getting some experience first.

If you're dead set on doing it....I'd buy some foundation and start them on a box with nothing but foundation.  Once frames get completely drawn, start working in your foundationless. 

Offline ScooterTrash

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Re: langley frames
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2014, 08:31:09 am »
No doubt it was more difficult for me to start out foundationless but then I did not have to transition from large to small cell down the road. Beg borrow a frame of drawn comb from a member of the club one joins; to start one's new package, assume one is starting with a package of bees, the girls will follow the pattern of that drawn frame else help them out by correcting with rubber bands. 30 colonies foundationless and I am loving it.
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