Plastic Cell for Honey Supers

[Shizzell]

Alright,

Currently i'm thinking about using fully "drawn" plastic cell foundation for my supers. They currently aren't too apt on building on my duragilt i have, so I decided on giving them fully drawn stuff or maybe starter strips. Any advantages/disadvantages in doing so?

Jake

[Brian D. Bray]

I've never had any real success trying to get the bees to work plastic anything.  My choice of preference is starter strips. The bees will draw the comb on both sides at the same time and draw it faster than if you're using wax foundation.  Plastic is even much slower.  Plastic frames, I've found, are like queen excluders; many hives would rather swarm than work the stuff.

[Michael Bush]

Acceptance the first time out, is the only downside I see.  PermaComb is very nice stuff and fairly permanent.  Once the bees have used it it's just like drawn comb.

It's also expensive and heavy. :)  But I do like it.

[MBrowne]

I have done a compare this year with several packages. Some with starter strips, some with permacomb, some with HSC, and some with Mann Lake PF120 (plastic frames). The fastest out of the gate was the PF120. The fully drawn PermaComb & HSC was the slowest starters. One of these hives took a little over 4 weeks for eggs to show up. But the fully drawn are now catching up to the other hives.

I do plan on using more PermaComb in my supers & brood but, I have been waiting for over a month for it to become available. John Seets, the distributor, has not gotten a new shippment yet.

[Michael Bush]

I am enjoying the PF120 a lot.  The bees draw it very nicely at 4.95mm and, although not as fast as they draw their own natural comb or on wax, they draw it pretty quickly.

[Shizzell]

PF120 from mann lake. Are you talking about rite cell? And is this stuff like duragilt? Because it sure seems like it. I'm really turning away from duragilt.

Also, does PF120 hold up to extractors? Also with starter strips - do you put wire strips in between the free space?

Do you guys know any site of a good seller of starter strips?

Jake

[mark]

i have never had a problem with them drawing plastic foundation.  duraguilt however is another story and i don't know HOW it's stayed on the market so long.  the inventor should be horsewhipped

[Robo]

PF120 from mann lake. Are you talking about rite cell?

PF120 is plastic frames similar to pierco one piece frames

And is this stuff like duragilt? Because it sure seems like it. I'm really turning away from duragilt.

Nope, it is all plastic.  Duraguilt is a smooth plastics center with cell embossed wax on the sides.  If the bees ever chew to the plastic, they never build wax there again.  I don't like it either.

Also, does PF120 hold up to extractors?

Solid plastic frames hold up well in the extract.  Not so well in a solar melter though, trust me :shock:

Also with starter strips - do you put wire strips in between the free space?

Most don't, but I do.  Yes you can extract without it,  if your careful, you can also ride a bicycle on a balance beam too.

Do you guys know any site of a good seller of starter strips?

Just buy unwired foundation and cut it with a pizza cutter.   Or buy grooved top bars and make your own starter strips out of scraps (I use coroplast election signs)

[Shizzell]

I see. So I can just purchase regular wedged frames and then just buy like 2 sheets of foundation, cut those up and put them in the grooves with glue or something? I'm guessing you leave about a half inch of foundation sticking out from the wedge?

I'm guessing something like this would work for cutting up into inch width pieces.

https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=115

Let me know what you guys think.

Jake

[Brian D. Bray]

Any size or thickness of wax foundation can be cut into sarter stips.