I have decided to try plastic foundation.

craneman54 · February 26, 2018, 09:26:13 PM

Hey sawdust nice to hear from you.

I did buy the rite cell unwaxed plasticell, I have bout40 lbs or more of clean wax I have been saving. Last fall I used the plasticell on the frames that I harvested . Put on a liberal coat of melted wax with a 4" roller and they took to it well.

Now for the bad news. Last week I checked my 4 hives they were all flying around the day after a good freeze. This afternoon I went to put them some sugar water and 1 of my hives is completely empty except for the empty wax comb.
There were no dead bees to be found.The whole hive must have hit the road and any stores left were probably robbed out.

I guess I will be putting out swarm traps this week.

BeeMaster2 · February 26, 2018, 11:42:57 PM

Today I talked a fellow Beek that lives about 6 miles away. He went into winter with 30 hives. He now has 4. Another long time Beek had 40 hives going into winter and now he also has 4 hives. It has been a very bad winter here.
Jim

craneman54 · February 27, 2018, 07:46:29 AM

We had a cold winter also. We usually don't get snow,we got some twice this year and also several hard freezes. My hives are on the south side of some very tall and thick hedge's.

I'll catch a couple of swarms to replace that hive and keep on trucking.

chux · February 27, 2018, 01:08:41 PM

It's been a really tough winter in NC too. I'm hearing of major losses, over 90%.

Put the foundation in the brood chamber, maybe two at a time, in slots 3 and 7??? If a flow is on and it is warmer, you can slap more frames in there, rotating the drawn comb from the outside, out.

cao · February 27, 2018, 09:09:35 PM

I guess my losses so far ain't as bad as I thought. So far(with fingers crossed) only 5 out of 38 and four of them were smaller ones. I still have about a month to go.

craneman54 · February 27, 2018, 11:06:56 PM

Well I am going to set out some swarm traps tomorrow and hopefully get 1 or 2 replacements for the one I lost.

I have a little Lemon grass oil left, Hopefully that will be enough.

How would coating some foundation with watered down honey work to catch a swarm. Or maybe some fresh wax on the old foundation?

cao · February 27, 2018, 11:52:50 PM

I would think honey would just attract robbers. The wax would work better IMO. A piece of old brood comb would help too. Anything to make it smell like home. Good luck.

craneman54 · February 28, 2018, 01:19:52 AM

Yes I thought of them robbing the honey a little while ago.

I have some wax and old comb to bait with. I will try sveral of the methods and see wich ones work the best.

Thanks for the help.

little john · February 28, 2018, 06:16:28 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on February 26, 2018, 11:42:57 PM
Today I talked a fellow Beek that lives about 6 miles away. He went into winter with 30 hives. He now has 4. Another long time Beek had 40 hives going into winter and now he also has 4 hives. It has been a very bad winter here.
Jim

That's bad news. I suspect it's going to be the same story on this side of the pond - a different kind of 'bad winter' - but with a similar outcome. 4 people have died so far in the latest freeze, and the country has more-or-less ground to a standstill.
LJ

BeeMaster2 · February 28, 2018, 08:15:44 AM

Most of the hives dies before we had freezing weather. Does not make sense. I know of at least two more similar cases that happened in St Augistine, it is about an hours drive south of Jacksonville.
Jim

craneman54 · February 28, 2018, 05:54:32 PM

What has me puzzled it I didn't any bee bodies or parts.

I just finished making 4 Bee traps so I hope to replace that hive within the next week or so.

2Sox · March 01, 2018, 03:14:16 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on February 26, 2018, 08:42:14 AM
Crane,
Since you have been using foundation less frames, I would recommend seeing if you can get small cell plasticell. That way you have the best of 2 worlds. I have several hundred sheets if large cell plasticell and I really wish I had bought the small cell sheets.
The big error in using plastic foundation is trying to mix wax or found less with plastic in the same super. If they have a choice, they will not use the plastic. If the super has all plastic with a goof wax coat, especially a fresh wax coat, they will build on it beautifully.
Jim

I've been doing foundationless for years along with crush and strain. Put 2 or three frames w/foundation into each box to get them started. I got some plastic frames from another beekeeper who liquidated. I've put these in with foundationless and in my experience, the bees have no problem building on them just as readily as they do with wax foundation.

So I just ordered several cases wood frames with "Quickdraw" plastic frames from Mann Lake. Ordered one case of all plastic (wax coated) just to see if I like them. I just ordered my first made in China extractor. Looking forward to it and not working as hard.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Electric-4-8-Frame-Stainless-Steel-Honey-Extractor-Beekeeping-Equipment-Drum/332532946543?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649