Plastic foundation

[Grant11]

I was given some old boxes and frames alot of the boxes have plastic foundation and are pretty dirty .  spider webs dirt old pulled comb ect..    Can these just be hosed off and reused ? Or should they tossed?

[doak]

If you have access to a pressure washer with hot water.
If not hose with strong  hose pressure and then disinfect.
I like them for extracting better than brood, they are so hard to clean up from brood.
I don't think things can penetrate these like it can wooden frames.
Just make sure you have a good coating of wax when you put them in the hive.
BUT they will break.
Bee glue is stronger than the plastic.
doak

[Shizzell]

Perosonally, a lot of people have been going to "starter strips".

Pull off that plastic, its useless. Put a strip of wax in a uniform honeycomb texture where you want them to build, they'll get the hint, and build off of that.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm#howdoyougofoundationless

Please read up on that =)

I really think thats the way you should go. Its less expensive than plastic, plus it works a lot better for crush and strain.

My Two cents ;)

Jake

[Keith13]

I have plastic foundation and i have found the bees just do not like to use it that much they seem to be reluctant for some reason. I am in the process of buying some other type of foundation to compare the two

[pdmattox]

Plastic foundation in a wooden frame is what I use and have had great results with it. I would do as doak stated, clean them up and apply some fresh wax to them. You would be amazed at what the bees will clean up and fix.

[Scadsobees]

I'm with pdmattox, I love the plastic.  But then again I've used the strips and foundationless, and while it works and is cheap, I'm ready to buy more plastic and go back to nice straight combs (without drone comb all over) again for a while. :roll:

You should be able to re-use this no problem.  Especially if it has been used for comb already.   If you are using the boxes, then you shouldn't be any less safe using the foundation.

Used correctly, plastic foundation works great.

Rick

[BMAC]

I think the key to get the bees on the plastic faster is

1.  dont use queen excluder (AKA bee excluder)
2. give all frames generous coat of wax.  This includes new frames.

[KS wife]

Newbie question - How do you coat them in wax?

[_Brenda_]

I'm starting out with plastic foundation in wooden frames. I think the foundation I got a wax coating. At least it feels like it.
I'll let you know if the package is taking to it, when I open the hive tomorrow.

[doak]

Get some fresh comb wax and melt it down. careful not to get it to hot. use a 2 or 3 inch paint brush.
dip in and brush, use fast movements. just like your painting
It looks like sometime you get too much but as long as you leave the cell imprint its O K.
Some I bought new didn't appear to have enough on so I spruced them up a bit.
Like I said they are good for honey to be extracted, don't have to worry about blowing out the comb. I don't like it for brood. Is too hard to clean up and could make getting a Queen cell hard or impossible to remove.

There is an old saying that applies to almost everything we do.

"Do what works best for you and your bees.
May not be right for some one else, but who are you trying to satisfy?
Not harsh just fact. :) ;)doak

[BMAC]

another way to coat them is to use the small sponge rollers for painting.  They work just fine with the melt wax was well and will not leave the brush strokes when the wax cools too much.  I also found it regulates the amount of wax going onto the frame better depending on the pressure you use.

I would also recoat any plastic frame that has been precoated with wax.  IT IS NOT ENOUGH.  Those folks are being cheap by lightly spraying the wax onto the plastic.

[_Brenda_]

Get some fresh comb wax ..

You all got to remember some of us are starting from scratch. We don't have any comb wax, fresh or otherwise.  ;)

[doak]

If at all possible, when first starting out stay away from the plastic foundation.
Use wooden frames and starting strips and/or full foundation.
I would use starter strips for comb and crush&strain honey.
doak

[Joseph Clemens]

Get some fresh comb wax ..

You all got to remember some of us are starting from scratch. We don't have any comb wax, fresh or otherwise.  ;)

Don't forget there are many bee supply companies; local stores, mail order, and internet stores. That's where I've been getting mine. Dadant seems like as good a place as any to get some from. It's the last place I ordered some from.

Last year was the first time I began using a great many PF120's, one piece plastic frame/foundation. During the flow I used them in the honey supers, most hives quickly and easily drew them into comb and filled it with honey. Some hives only used them, undrawn, as ladders or clustering space; other hives built combs perpendicular to the surfaces of the plastic foundations, connecting one plastic foundation to the next, and so on, making a difficult to correct - mess.

This year I have been painting a very thick coating of beeswax onto the cell wall bases of the plastic foundations, then placing those I wish to use for brood, between frames filled with capped brood. This almost guarantees it is quickly drawn and then filled with brood. Others I also add extra beeswax, in the same way, then place them between combs of honey in the honey supers.

[Keith13]

ok here is a dumb question i left some deeps with wood frames with plastic foundation in the back of my truck for a few days would it have gotten hot enough to melt off the wax. i never saw any residue from the wax. but the wax from the factory is such a small amount maybe i missed it in the back of the truck. what do yall think could this be why my bees don't really like it

[doak]

Not really. They just seem slow about taking it if it doesn't have enough wax on it.
And the factory doesn't put enough on.
Sorry BIG guys, just fact.
Hope they are reading this maybe they will increase the amount.
But at the price of nice clean wax I doubt it. :) ;)doak

[BMAC]

Ok.  I agree 100% with Doaks previous post.  Bees take to pure wax foundation like wildfire.  However none of us are doing that anymore cause it is such a pain and not very cost effective.  So you always have to re-coat everything plastic with more wax to get them to draw it in a reasonable amount of time.

FOR THOSE WHO DONT HAVE WAX!!!!

Call Brenda and Larry Draper in Nebraska.  They resell rendered wax in whatever quantity you want to buy, and they only pass on the highest quality wax, pollen, honey they can get their hands on.  They are hard working honest folks that are not going to try and take you to the cleaners.

Both are great people to deal with also.  402-274-3725.  You can even tell them Brian said to call.  It will not give you a discount though....

[Shizzell]

I defintely agree with starter strips. Even though the concept is a little tricky to understand, try it with one of your frames to test. They (usually) will build I find better comb that is straight and conformed. However, its a little more fragile when first made, but it harders.

Jake

[Bee-Bop]

For local wax to paint frames, contact your local bee group.

Some of them may have extra wax, and or cappings to sell, cuts down on outrages shipping charges !

I believe Mr.Grant recomends about 2 oz or better painted on frame.

Bee-Bop

[Brian D. Bray]

If you need wax be aware that most hardware stores sell hockey puck sized quanitites of wax for lubricating screws, drawer slides, etc.  Usually cost $2-3 bucks.  Each wax puck should be enough to coat 8-10 frames of wax foundation with a light coat.