Plastic frame and starter strip

[Cindi]

I was talking before about my husband making starter strips using the plastic frames and foundation that my bees are not overly fond of.  Took a picture the other day and have inserted 9 into the colonies.  We'll see what they do with them, I am sure that they will draw them out just like the wax starter strips.  Last year I bought a couple of boxes of the plastic frames and foundation and the bees drew out some, most they hardly worked on at all.  So, if this works out, all the plastic foundation will be cut out and these frames made.  I am a lucky woman that my husband does so many things for me for my bees.  Yeah!!!  Have a wonderful day, great life.  Cindi


Shot with DSC-P200 at 2007-06-26

[SteveSC]

When you first described what you were going to do I thought you were going to cut the entire plastic out and attach a wax starter strip for the bees to draw out.  Keep us informed on the progress of these cut down Peircos - I have some that I need to do something with, maybe this same thing if your experiment goes to plan..  Pictures are excellent...

I am a lucky woman that my husband does so many things for me for my bees.  Yeah!!!

Sounds like he's pretty lucky also...

[Robo]

Looks good.  One suggestion if I may.  You may want to leave a little around the sides and bottom as a guide as well.  This may help them keep the comb straight.  Otherwise they tend to arc the comb at the sides.

[Cindi]

Robo.  Thank you for the advice.  Listening, learning.

Now, the only problem that I may encounter here is:  yesterday my husband told me (when I asked him to cut more frames for me) was that he had to devise an easier way than he has been doing.  He is an amazing inventor, so I know that he will mull this over in his mind, sleep on it -- he will have an incredible way to work these frames.  This will be much more difficult leaving a little bit along the bottom and the sides, but he can do it, I always have faith in this man of mine.

I will apprise next time I notice what they are doing with these frames. 

I have 9 already in the colonies, 1 in each one and one does not have any yet.  So......I'll keep a look out for the "funny" comb.  Could look very interesting!!!!  Yeah!  Have a wonderful day, great life.  Cindi

[asprince]

A Dremel or a small laminate router would probally work nice. Keep us posted as to how the bees accept them. I have some that I may want to modify. Great idea!

Steve

[Bennettoid]

A Dremel or a small laminate router would probally work nice. Keep us posted as to how the bees accept them. I have some that I may want to modify. Great idea!

Steve

Thats what I was thinking. Cindi has me thinking about the stupid plastic frames I bought.

[rdy-b]

Maybe you could take the part that got cut out and put that part in a wooden frame?as a starter stripe. my bees drew-out the plastic but the part thats no good for me is the top and bottom bars are to thin so the bees never get a good stopping point and fill the area with drone cells. makes for difficult inspections.everybody complains about the beespace on the plastic but it is really the thin top and bottom bars that cause the continuous type brood chamber. some people like it. the other thing is on my honey suppers if all the frames slide all the way front or back they fall through.seems as if the ears are just a little smaller. no fun with full boxes to have them fall through.also they dont go through my uncapper correctly. this year i have switched to wood bound frames for honey suppers . at any rate i am sure you and your bees will enjoy natural cell size comb. nature knows best  :) RDY-B   

[budhanes]

Ingenious. (Another) Keep us posted. I've been considering giving them up to. My bees workthem, but not as fast as wax.

[Michael Bush]

I'd leave a row of "cells" all the way around so they attach the sides and bottom more quickly.

It should work.

One of those bits that goes in a drill that cuts (I've seen them at the hardware store and advertised on TV) might work well.  Any recipricating saw with a fine tooth blade should work too.

[Brian D. Bray]

The only suggustion I would make would be to possibly run a coat of wax along the cut.  The bare plastic at the bottom of the starter strip might cause its own problems.  I think just taking a hunk of wax, bubbing along the edge, then making a quick run with a match or something (BBQ Lighter?) to set the wax should work.

[Cindi]

Thinking about things said in this thread.  Rob and you Michael, both said to leave a little bit of the plastic foundation along the top, sides and bottoms.  Thinking back about the previous threads on starter strip foundation.  If I am not mistaken, it was talked about that when applying the one inch starter strip foundation that people attach with wax, I don't remember any talk of leaving having any foundation somehow attached to the sides and bottom.

I must know why it is suggested to leave some foundation all around the frame?  Curiosity never got this cat!!!  Have a wonderful day, really looking forward to the replies.  Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

Bees don't treat plastic the same way they do wood.  The will most likely not attach the combs to the frame except where there is a strip of plastic with wax on it.  They will affix the comb to wood, no problem, getting them just to draw out plastic foundation can be so problematic that they fail to attach the comb to the plastic frame.  The guide all the way around the frame will allow the bees to draw out the remaining wax on the plastic and they will attach the rest of the comb to this guide.

[Cindi]

Brian, your answers are logical.  Last summer I had such weird comb drawn on the plastic frames.  It seems the entire comb was unattached to the face of the foundation except in a couple of places. I don't know how it didn't fall off the face of the foudation.  It really was weird looking comb for sure.  It was weird to see the bees coming out from underneath these comb, needless to day, I didn't let them keep these combs.  I will be getting my husband to leave a little of the frame on all sides, bottom and top when he does more cutting.  Have a wonderful day.  Cindi