Stryofoam hive and plastic frames

[IndianaBrown]

Copied from my introduction post as background:
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I just started a keeping a hive for the fist time, with a nuc I bought last weekend. I have been interested in beekeeping for several years, but I finally have the time/money/land to get started, at least in a small way. I am looking forward to bugging you all with silly questions. I expect that some of the things I am doing and/or plan to do will raise some interesting discussions.

My wife and I recently bought a house on a fairly large lot inside the city of Indianapolis, IN. We have 2 small children, and many visitors. After checking with the neighbors on either side I built a small (approx 6' by 7.5' by 4.5' high) enclosure near the back of our property, surrounded by tight lattice to screen the bees and force them to fly over the heads of any children that may be nearby.

So far the bees seem to be doing well, (although I can not figure out why they are flying out of sight when there is some kind of tree blossoming right over their enclosure that always has several bumblebees on it.) I am just trying to be patient enough to leave them alone for a couple more days before their first inspection.
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At the risk of opening up a whole bunch of wood purist reaction...
Here is the hive I bought:
http://betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=220

I went with the Pierco frames.  I picked up 10 extra medium frames, an uncapping tank, a straining bucket, and a few other odds and ends.  My extracting/comb plans can be left for another thread  :)

I was wondering if anyone else has experience with/opinions about stryofoam hives or plastic frames?  

So far the bees seem to have accepted the hive.  The took about 1.5 quarts of suryp from a top feeder for the first few days when it was cold and damp, but have left about a half quart and been foraging since then.  Transporting the nuc frames in the stryo brood chamber was easy.  I just pre-stapled screen to the bottom before I got the nuc, and stapled another piece of screen to the top after the frames were installed.  The screen stayed bee-tight during transport, but came off relatively easily when it was time to put the box on hive body on the base.  I only had to shake 15 or 20 bees off the bottom screen into the hive.  Since then I have only seen about a half dozen dead bees pushed out of the entrance, and one or 2 dead under the panel in the top feeder.  All seems well with the hive itself.

Here are a few pictures my wife took while I was getting the hive in place:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29258782@N00/tags/bee/

Blame my 6 year old daughter for the color choice for the hive  :D

Until my first inspection this weekend I have no way of telling if drawing in the new frames or not.  I am not overly worried about it, but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to get them to accept  the plastic frames.  Sugar water? etc.  The frames have a thin coating of wax on them.

Rob Brown

[Michael Bush]

>I was wondering if anyone else has experience with/opinions about stryofoam hives or plastic frames?

Lots with plastic foundation.  Not so much with plastic frames and a little with styrofoam hives.

There are things I liked about the plastic but cell size was the problem and I couldn't resolve that with plastic.  Even the small cell plastic was not well accepted (worse than regular plastic).  Natural comb worked out much better for the Varroa mites and for acceptance.  The bees are pretty accepting of empty space.  :)

My problem with styrofam hives was condensation.  I don't know why, but the bees didn't do that well in them here.  BUt then I was using the mediums and trying to overwinter nucs (six frames or so of bees).

>I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to get them to accept the plastic frames. Sugar water? etc. The frames have a think coating of wax on them.

Honey Bee Healthy syrup sprayed on them seems to help. It's all I really use HBH for, since it seems to set off so much robbing.

[amymcg]

I have one styrofoam hive I bought recently because I couldn't get the wood ones, they were out of stock.

I have to say that so far I'm pleasantly surprised by the density of the foam, ease of assembly and light weight.  The bees seem to be fine in it. I really like the lid, I might get some more of those for my wooden hives.

[Finsky]

I have used styrofoam deeps since 1987. Wintering is good and the best is spring build up.

Wood has also condensation problem but when water goes inside wood, you perhaps don't notice it.

Last summer I made 20 mating nucs. I sawed  stryrofoam box into 3 parts and then I made missing wall from stryfoam board. Glue is polyuretane. They are warm 3-frame nucs.

[Archie]

Hi,

I have two foam hives and very happy with them.  As for condensation, I make a 3.5 inch frame the size of the super.  I drill two 3/4 holes on the long sides and one on the two short sides.  I cover the holes with screening on the inside to keep the bees from using the holes.  I put this frame on top of the inner cover and cover with the outer cover.  This takes care of any condensation in either foam or wood hives during winter and summer.

Archie