Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

hello every body! i use only flastic frames/foundation. the reson being that 1.they won't break in the extractor. 2. wax moth damage is no problem, you just srape the comb off and give it back to the bees.
3. you don't have to assemble them or any wax foundation, just stick on your bees right out of the box! 4. they are very easey to handle for inspecting your hive. 5. no wax foundation to break or have melt. so i hope you all VOTE and consider useing all plastic frames/foundation!  :-D :bee:

Personally, I use wood frames with wired wax.  I don't think I would ever use plastic and here's why.  Plastics are a pretrolliem based product and have been know to leach chemical into what they are holding.  I also have an son with Autism and it seems like every time he drinks out of a plastic cup he has a meltdown.  Needless to say we have gotten rid of all plastic cups and plates in the house.  Another problem is that they can also release estrogen into the contents.  My wife has informed that if my boobs get bigger than hers she would leave me. :evil:  Now I know that the amounts that are released are low, the problem is that over time they could cause problems.  Plus has anybody done a study on what has plastics done to bees over time.

never used plastic.  sure it works fine for many, but have read to many stories of people having trouble with it.  besides, i use strips and end up with lots of wax to use :-)

Can only choose one?  Then I can't vote. It's whatever works for me, including a fair amount of plastic in various configurations.

Use whatever works for you.  Plastic, wired, foundationless...its all good.

I go the cheapest and easiest route, whatever that might be at the time (has ended up being plastic frames/foundation for me).

I have 6 hives all with MannLake PF120 plastic frames.  I love em.   No wax moths.  Scrape off bad comb.  I use some wood with starter strips for drone comb, bees like that, gives them a place.  PF120 are small cell too.  No varroa to speak of either.  Also, pull up easy when everything is propolized.  Some of my wood frames splintered when glued down real well.  When a flow is on or not the bees pulled the comb out beautifully.

Quote from: Scadsobees on September 16, 2009, 01:13:19 PM
Can only choose one?  Then I can't vote. It's whatever works for me, including a fair amount of plastic in various configurations.

Use whatever works for you.  Plastic, wired, foundationless...its all good.

I go the cheapest and easiest route, whatever that might be at the time (has ended up being plastic frames/foundation for w me).

Same here for me. I have a fair amount of plastic frames / foundation that was given to me by my mentor. I use it, but I do not like it as well as wood frames with plastic foundation.

Steve 

 I use wood frames with wired wax.



   BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

Being comercial I have lots of stuff.  I don't want any plastic frames in my hives and here is why.  The plastic frames are molded leaveing grooves and cracks in the frames all perfect places for the Hive Bettles to hide in.  All the plastic frames I find in hivebodies I move to the outside edges to eventually be taken out the hives completely.  Now I'm not sure of my feelings on plastic frame in supers  I don't see much of a problem there because the supers aren't on the bees long term and taken off at the end of the crop.  I won't say I like the plastic in supers but I'm don't want to say not to use as I would for the hivebody frames.

I can't vote because there is no "all of the above" button  :-\  I'm still trying everything out and seeing what works best for me and the girls.

I agree with the hiding places for SHB in plastic.  However, I find that the bees corral them there and then I smash them there!  So I kinda like it for that reason.  Of course that would be impossible for a commercial keeper, but for 6 hives it works well in keeping their numbers low.  SHB are going to be somewhere in the hive.  I opened a friend's hive with all wood frames and it was covered in SHB, it was a strong hive too, so they are there no matter the frame type.  I have even had bees seal several SHB into one of those cracks in the plastic frame.

I've got a few plastic frames laying around if you want these you can have them.  And what happens when you aren't into the hive and the bees chase them in there all safe and sound.  I'll take the sollid frames and less hiding places if I had one hive or however many.  Agree if you have them around it's not going to make that much diffrence what type of frames you have but I ain't helping them out eighter if I can help it.

They corral the SHB in the crevices and don't let them out--much :evil:.  Otherwise they corral them in the comb where they lay their little shb eggs and cause more problems.  but i have never seen in shb larva in my combs, I don't know if the bees drag them out or what.  i have seen them in a comb in a OB hive where the bees could not get to them.  so i'm not sure if the plastic helps control shb for the reasons above or not.

I have been keeping bees for roughly fifteen years and have tried quite a few options.  Related to frames, I currently have a mix of pierco frames, some wood fames with wired foundation and some wood frames with duragilt.  I have read through many posts here looking to see if there is one option that has a stronger leaning with regard to frame makeup.  I dont see "one" strong option but I do see many passionate opinions.  If it works, as it does with my malange of items, then keep up the good work.  If it isn't working, find out why, quickly, and resolve it to another method.  The newest options are not always the best or most thought out either.  And remember the addage, before tearing down a fence that has been in place for years, take your time and investigate why it is there from that previous perspective because, you might find out that your perspective, was perhaps short sighted in the end.

Great input Brian, and I agree! I've got lots of differing scenarios going and I haven't come up with a strong winner yet. I do feel that the girls are slower to draw out the plastic initially but it's all about the same in the end.

I'm starting to go foundationless now though ( hoping to control varroa naturally) and I've started adding frames with starter strips to see how they take to it. Fingers crossed!

Scott

Not every combination was there, of course, I use a mixture of fully drawn plastic (PermaComb and Honey Super Cell), plastic small cell (Mann Lake PF120s) and foundationless.

here is one example of ill affects of plastic.  I was trying to find a better article I have read but this is a good example. 

http://www.naturalnews.com/022548.html

As of now I have a few plastic frames.  I intend to stick with wood and wax because it is natural.  I also intend to bottle in glass not plastic for the same reason. 

What kind of plastic are frames made of anyway?

I'll keep using my 400 plastic frames;

Let's see, I have a implanted plastic/metal pacemaker, a implanted plastic port, eat food off of Melmac dinner ware, which was prepared in teflon coated pots & pans, and bought wraped in plastic shrinkwrap or in plastic containers.

You ladies that wear Nylon and Spandex & other syntatihic [sp] fiber clothes, are more than welcome to come for a ride with me in my " plastic " car ( or yours ) .
For fun we can take a magnet and try to get it to stick any place onthe steering wheel, steering coloum, dash board etc., but first try the front & rear pumpers.

Sorry Folks I believe we are living in a plastic world, so I think you might as well get used to it.
Oh, don't forget those plastic buckets most everyone works their honey with.

Bee-Bop

I wish I could go natural.  I do not and will never use chemicals in the hive.  As a side note, Bee-nuts, not trying to make you mad but if that is you in that picture think about the chemicals used to make those Levis!!!   The pesticides alone to keep boll weevils off the cotton and the fertiliers to grow the cotton are astounding.  Living in the south, I know few farmers growing cotton now due to the incredible chemical costs. 

We have thrown out almost all plastic eating ware in our home, but I still have plastic frames--that's crazy I know!!  I won't to go Amish!

Quote from: ArmucheeBee on September 22, 2009, 10:19:52 PM
I wish I could go natural.  I do not and will never use chemicals in the hive.  As a side note, Bee-nuts, not trying to make you mad but if that is you in that picture think about the chemicals used to make those Levis!!!   The pesticides alone to keep boll weevils off the cotton and the fertiliers to grow the cotton are astounding.  Living in the south, I know few farmers growing cotton now due to the incredible chemical costs. 

We have thrown out almost all plastic eating ware in our home, but I still have plastic frames--that's crazy I know!!  I won't to go Amish!

LOL!!  Where did the whole Levis thing come from.  Are you sure there Levis.  I thought I heard someone in the bushes.  Just kidding. 

I work at a plastic factory.  You would think I would be pro plastic but I'm not.  Unfortunately if we stooped using pesticides many people would starve to death and we would live much harder lives.  That said, I think we should use natural things when we can without going back to the dark ages.  I also think people need to change some of the stupid polices we have stuck to, like not using hemp because its cousin that is used to get high.  Many petroleum products could be biodegradable if hemp were used instead of oil.  I'm not going to go into it because it would take all night, but you get my point I'm sure.

Oh yeah, I all most forgot, those are hemp jeans.  Just kidding again.