Is anyone here using black foundation, if so what do you think of it? I'm thinking of trying it in the hive I will be adding next spring.
I guess your talking about the plastic foundation? I have never tried it, but I believe it's black to more closely resemble brood comb. The hope being that the bees will quickly get it drawn and into use.
I guess I'm old fashioned. I have a hard time seeing them on something other than wax. One of these days I will have to try it out. I saw somewhere that they have small cell plastic, which would work well on the final regression to natural sized bees.
Although I am by no means an expert, I have been using the Pierco black plastic frame and foundation for three years now. The bees seem to accept it readily. Just before I use it I sprinkle a 1 to 1 sugar syrup on it and have not had a problem with either the package bees or captured swarms drawing it out,as long as there is a nectar flow going on coupled with additional syrup feeding. Originally I started useing it because deer mice destroyed my first two colonies(which had wax foundation)------but now I use hardware cloth on the entrance in the winter,and just kept using the plastic because of the convience. Still having a ball---------------------
latebee
Hi,
nearly all of my hives have black plastic foundation with a wax coationg. some things you should not do. do not mix plastic foundation and wax foundation in the same hive body. Keep the plastic foundation in a cool place. do not expose to the sun. the wax will melt off and the bees will not draw out the comb.
Archie
I have used both white & black in limited quantities. I don't have any scientific data to back it up, but I seem to like the black better. Maybe because the eggs are easier to spot on the black background. The bees don't seem to mind either. I see now they are making a drone version in green. Anybody try it yet?
BTW, Don't try to clean the plastic frames by putting them in a solar melter, they come out like a crumpled piece of tin foil :shock:
The nucs I bought had quite a variety of frames in them: wired wax, black pierco, and so on. The bees didn't draw the plastic as fast as the wax, but they did draw it, eventually.
I bought a few of the green drone frames to do varroa IPM. As soon as a flow was on, the girls started drawing it (and I have eggs in one frame, as of last Sunday).
All in all, I think they like pure wax better, but will accept plastic. And I agree that eggs are easier to see against the dark background.
My current hive has the waxed rite frames that Mann Lake sales and the bees have drawn them out fine. But, I have also read the black was easier to see the eggs that's the main reason I would like to try the Pierco waxed frames.
I have some frames of the Black Pierco Plastic Frames. I oly use them in the brood chamber.
I like it - it is very easy to see the eggs on it.
When I installed my packages, the bees didn't take to it right away, but now they draw it out.
i have talked to about 40 people that say the bees take to the black peirco foundations nice but alot of the same people almost all say the white bees dont take too good , but a few people said they didnt have no problems at nether , but i would say 90% said the only like the black foundations.
Since most of the time there is little to no light in the hive I would think that the color of the frames would matter little unless the bees see in the IR spectrum. Black foundation would also absorb heat better and therefore be better in cooler climates or later in the season when heat maintenace would be formost on the bees minds. Just my opinion
As with any foundation, install only during a nectar flow or while you are feeding.....bees cannot make wax without carbs. (sugar)..........
Steve
Bees actually see better than humans in the UV spectrum and worse then humans in the lower range of our visible spectrum, thus they are not able to see in the IR range.