Buckled foundation - OK to use?

[Koala John]

Hi,
I have some full depth frames I made up last year with full sheets of foundation embedded that I need to use now for honey supers (I'm in Australia and have a flow on  :-D). However in the heat of last summer, the foundation has buckled. Will the bees build comb that has a flat face for easy uncapping, or will they build cells with identical depths, resulting in buckled looking drawn comb?
Thanks,
John.

[BjornBee]

Excuse me as I wipe the ice off my computor screen before replying...  :-D

Australia...a flow....southerners!  :-P

They will follow the pattern and waves of the fondation. And if the foundation creates areas that there is too much room, they will create extra comb in areas you probably do not want.

A little wave is ok, but I'm thinking your talking a bit more than a little. Sounds from what you said, that you will be looking at a mess.

[magnet-man]

If you put the those frames between drawn foundation, they should cap the comb evenly because of the bee space.

[Nate]

You could also cut it into starter strips and let the bees do there thing.  Just a possibility to not waste your bent foundation.

[Michael Bush]

I would not leave the buckled foundation in.  I would straighten it or replace it or cut it out and leave a starter strip.

They will make a mess.

[BEES4U]

As MB said replace the foundation.
I have found out from old experience that the top of the foundation can be puled down by the weight of the bees making wax and then you have a mees to work with later. Take a small loss now, replace the foundation, and enjoy the bees.
You can not beat good drawn out combs
Currently I am running 100% Pierco plastic frames with excellent results. I like the black foundation because I can see the eggs and open brood cells easily!
Regards,
Ernie

[Koala John]

Thanks very much for the replies everyone, very interesting. To save some time and materials, I'll cut some down to just starter strips and try that - I've only ever used full frames of foundation, so this will be an interesting experiment for me.

Best regards,
John.

[Jim134]

Fix the foundation you will not regret!!! If you do not  :'( :'(




     BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

[Koala John]

I was given a great idea at the local beekeeping club - use a hairdryer to warm the wax, then flatten it on a board smaller than the frame that the wax can rest on. It worked perfectly, and was so easy my three year old did a great job of making them straight again with their small Play Dough rolling pin - perfect for the job!! The now straight foundation is now safely installed in a super, and hopefully this time around the flow going on will result in them being fully drawn, unlike the poor year we had last year.
Thanks again everyone for your comments.

[BjornBee]

John,
You got your foundation fixed and had your 3 year old do the work...Your Good! :-D

I'll be having a talk to my three year old this morning. And this should be good....I have two of them. Time for a daddy vacation. Should of started this earlier. :evil:

Glad to see you got it fixed.

[Koala John]

Haha!!
Two of them? Now I'm impressed, that's a lot of sleep deprivation for one man to deal with  :-D 
Good luck with your new plan!