wiring medium frames

rayb · February 15, 2007, 03:41:15 PM

I built my medium frames and placed just ONE wire throught the most central hole. Will this work satisfactorily or, should it have been TWO wires. Will it do the job??( I did 40 frames with just the one support wire!!)

Thanks, Ray

Finsky · February 15, 2007, 05:02:58 PM

If you have 2 wires, they are faster to extract. In extracting comb tend to bend and many will be broken. Many use not at wires in mediums. But when I make once 100 frames without wires, they all was broken after two years.

Michael Bush · February 15, 2007, 08:39:55 PM

When I wire mediums (which I usually don't because I do them foundationless or I use thin surplus for cut comb) I do two wires:

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/Foundation49.jpg

rayb · February 15, 2007, 09:13:42 PM

OK, Back to the shop!!!!! I could use more wiring practice anyway. Thanks gentlemen.

Thanks, Ray.

Michael Bush · February 15, 2007, 10:32:34 PM

I'm not saying one won't work. Just that I would do two.

rayb · February 16, 2007, 09:30:14 AM

Michael, It didn't take long to add a second wire with the rig we made to wire them. I feel better with two wires and if I had done it that way from the beginnining, it would only have taken a few minutes longer to do them all that way.
I find simple pleasure in assembling frames. The mind can wander, but at my age the mind can simply wander off.

Thanks for all the input you give, Ray.

Paul Andersen · February 16, 2007, 09:52:33 PM

If you don't wire a medium frame and you are going to extract the honey (not cut comb), does it help reduce the stress on the Comb if you use a radial extractor instead of a tangental?

I want to use starter strips this year an some new supers and I am worried about how they will hold up to extracting.

Any Comments?

Paul

Michael Bush · February 17, 2007, 12:03:51 AM

>I want to use starter strips this year an some new supers and I am worried about how they will hold up to extracting.

Anytime you are extracting wax foundation, wired or not, you need to start slowly and be gentle. If you're doing foundationless you also need to make sure the comb has aged enough to get over the really soft stage when it's brand new and that it's been attached at least a little bit on all four sides:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm

Kirk-o · February 17, 2007, 06:30:29 PM

Great advice Michael
kirk-o

reinbeau · February 25, 2007, 07:49:18 PM

We got an interesting tip from a good beeman this past week - he uses fishing line, not wire. I'm going to do that on the medium small-cell frames we'll be making up for the bees we get up in Maine. Down here we're sticking with regular cell for now. Just only on account of because :-D