Foundationless with unstamped sheets

[Snowhitsky]

I'm a beginner and I've read about different techniques but one thing puzzles me about foundationless: assuming one has a stock of unpolluted wax, why not use unstamped sheets? Wouldn't it allow the bees to build the cells they want where they want whilst allowing the use of wire?

[Better.to.Bee.than.not]

I am confused about the question. Bees build comb. it's what they do. You can still use wire without using foundation, bees will build right over it, and they will build whatever cell size they want to build while doing it. using a blank, bees will potentially re-work it, but that is actually making them do more work than they need to do, as they build cells not blanks, and the cells are specifically designed and offset on each side. furthermore, one had to be somewhat careful I think in how they work the wax, and the wax they work to make the blank may not actually be as good as just letting the bees do what they do...which is make wax and build comb. They love doing it. every conversation I have had with bees, each of them have told me so, plus it gives them something to do. idles legs are the devils playground, and they have too many legs, as well as mandibles to allow to be idle. go ahead and use the blank for a small starter strip though 1 or 2 cells wide is fine to let them run their own comb straight.

[Spear]

Before the patterned foundation sheets were 'invented' beekeepers used blank foundation sheets to make the comb stronger so they would not blow out so easily in the extractor. So the bees don't mind the blank foundation at all.

[Better.to.Bee.than.not]

when I said potentially re-work it, it isn't based on it being 'blank' as opposed to patterned but rather when he said "assuming one has a stock of unpolluted wax, ", and them making it themselves.

[Snowhitsky]

Thanks for your answers.

Basically, I am curious as to whether a blank would be useful and/or speed up the drawing out of comb.

[marktrl]

No, blank sheet would be slower than foundationless or stamped foundation. They would have to rework the wax.

[Michael Bush]

>why not use unstamped sheets?

Because as marktrl said, they build it slower with the sheet than if you don't use anything but some kind of guide to get it in the frame.  The wax slows them down.