Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: wax coated plastic foundation  (Read 5543 times)

Offline showme bob

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 4
wax coated plastic foundation
« on: January 23, 2012, 12:55:12 pm »
(If there is already a discussion of this please help me find it).

I would like opinions and experiences with wax coated foundation on wood frames especially: what would be the most important management of wax coated plastic and which companies have proven to be the most accepted by the bees?  Thanks.

Offline yockey5

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 677
  • Gender: Male
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2012, 01:05:40 pm »
I won't use it. Bees scrub damaged spots down to the plastic and will not rebuild comb on it.

Offline Michael Bush

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 19805
  • Gender: Male
    • bushfarms.com
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2012, 05:14:28 am »
Most of the plastic foundation and frames are available waxed and unwaxed.  The bees in a flow USUALLY accept it when it's waxed and usually not when it's not waxed.  I've had the best acceptance with the PF100 series, one piece plastic frames and foundation from Mann lake (I mostly have the PF120s as they are mediums).  I assume it's the high cell walls and the small cell size that contribute.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline BlueBee

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4587
  • Gender: Male
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2012, 05:50:20 am »
This is one of those questions where you’re going to get a dozen different answers from a dozen different beeks.

My preference is the wood frame + waxed plastic foundation.  It is more rigid than the all plastic frames, more durable in my opinion, and has less nooks and crannies for the pests to hide in.  If you do get some pest attacking your hive/nuc, you can scrape the infected comb down to the plastic foundation without ruining the whole frame; done that numerous times.  I find less burr comb between boxes with wood frames than the plastic as well, probably because of the deeper top bar in a wood frame than a plastic one.

I have tired the Mann Lake all plastic 4.9mm PF frames and the Pierco plastic foundation in wood frames.  My bees would not touch the PF frames until I added a thin extra coat of wax on them with a 4” foam roller.  After the extra wax, they had no problem building nice comb on them; they went right to town on those frames.  There are more cells per frame on a PF frame due to the smaller 4.9 spacing so you do get more bees per frame.  They also don’t require assembly.  Plug and play.

However my preference is the Pierco plastic foundation + wood frames.  Brushy among others retails the Piecro.  My bees love that Pierco stuff.  I alternate the Pierco with foundationless to get foundationless combed up strait.  My bees always comb up the Pierco first.

Regardless of what plastic you pick, I would start out adding my own coat of wax to make sure the bees get a good start.  After that, you could experiment to see rather of not your bees really need an extra coat of wax or not.  It’s an extra expense to buy bees wax if you’re a newbie, but I think it is worth it.   

Offline Jim134

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3045
  • Gender: Male
    • Franklin County Beekeepers Association
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2012, 09:59:42 am »
(If there is already a discussion of this please help me find it).

I would like opinions and experiences with wax coated foundation on wood frames especially: what would be the most important management of wax coated plastic and which companies have proven to be the most accepted by the bees?  Thanks.


 This may help you 

PLASTIC FOUNDATION Frames Bees Wax Waxing repair,Beekeeping Georgia Beekeeper John Pluta,Honeybees

   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline alfred

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 420
  • Gender: Male
    • Alfred's Massage
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2012, 10:43:31 am »
Great vid! Love all of your vids keep em coming!
Alfred

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13489
  • Gender: Male
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2012, 12:37:06 pm »
Appreciate the video. Now we know how it is done. :)
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline showme bob

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2012, 10:55:50 am »
Thanks for taking them time to share your experiences.  I really do appreciate it and will save the comments and video.  The will be good resources.   

I think I will try an experiment between 100% wax and coated plastic in wood frames. 

Have a honey of a day!!!

Offline yockey5

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 677
  • Gender: Male
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2012, 05:44:53 pm »
Great video. Thanks!

Offline silent hunter

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 9
  • Gender: Male
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2012, 03:37:44 am »
Great video!! learning lots. thank you!!

Offline Country Heart

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 225
Re: wax coated plastic foundation
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2012, 03:46:07 pm »
Very nice video.  Thank you, Jim.   :)