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Not enough comb=No Brood. Solution? But does plastic foundation offgass in hive?

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FloridaGardener:
I'm foundation-less and getting Swarm-iness.  I'm putting the swarm cells & frame of honey in "princess box" nucs.  But the flow is close - there's hardly any fly time.  I think we're honey-bound. 

I could never put used commercial wax frames in there...too much residual junk. I think I may need to buy some small cell plastic foundation so they can draw egg laying-space faster.  But...

I worry about plastic in a 93 degree environment due to leaching, offgassing, and dioxin breakdown.  Sure, we use BPA free plastics for cold food storage, but how safe, really, is plastic in a 93 degree hive with thousands of micro proboscis chewing at it?

https://www.blastic.eu/knowledge-bank/impacts/toxicity-plastics/

iddee:
""I could never put used commercial wax frames in there...too much residual junk.""

Like what? All pesticides will have passed their useful life by many months. Any junk found in it is harmless. I will not use plastic, but will use processed wax every day.

BeeMaster2:
FG,
Using foundation does not help the bees build comb faster. Small cell foundation would be an big improvement over standard foundation for mite control. Due you have a waxed wood strip in the top of your frames. That helps to get them to build it straight.
Jim Altmiller

FloridaGardener:
Jim,

They build straight comb.  It's beautiful.  And they're constantly festooning new frames.  As I can see it, it takes the house bees more time to build comb than it takes the foragers to fill it. 

So that leaves no room for the Q to lay eggs.

FloridaGardener:
If I want no more swarm cells forming because the Q has no room to lay...

Then, should I pull out half the 20 frames of uncapped nectar and drain them of nectar...?

Seems like house bees haven't had time to fan & cap... and the pantry is full!


 

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