Best Foundation

[beeginner]

Im just wanting to know what is the best Foundation and frames for a hive?


             Thanks               Carson

[Mici]

the best one is the one that works the best for you :-*
apart from that... finsky would say 5.2mm, M.Bush would say natural cells a.k.a. starter strips and other would say 4.9mm, whilst the 4th group would say plastic foundation.

judging from current trend if i were you, i'd look up for some 4.9mm foundation. lot's of pros, little or should i say NO cons, search the forum for further information about it, it has been discoused  A LOT!

[Brian D. Bray]

Ease of operations equates to uniformity of equipment.  I use all medium boxes and frames.  I never have to worry about moving frames from box to box, etc.  I also us starter strips instead of full sheets of foundation.  The bees will actually build out the starter strips faster than the full sheets of foundation because it is more natural for them.  Some, like Finskey, abhor the thought of all that lost honey to wax production.  I've never found it to be a big problem.  IMO bees drawing comb from starter strips will build up faster than bees on foundation and the final result in harvestable honey is negligable due to the more natural behavior of the bees.

[Michael Bush]

Standard is 5.4mm.  Small cell is 4.9mm.  There is wax, plastic, fully drawn plastic etc.  The advantage to plastic is you don't have to wire it.  The advantage to the fully drawn plastic (PermaComb and Honey Super Cell) is the bees don't have to draw it.  The disadvantage to plastic is the bees don't like it as well as wax.  Personally I gave up on foundation and I use foundationless frames instead:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm

It's much less work.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#foundationlessframes