Mixing Plastic & Wooden/Wax frames.

[xC0000005]

I'm getting a package of bees within the next couple of weeks, and have a question about the frames. I have some nice plastic one piece frames I intend to use long term, and some drawn comb on wooden frames I'd like to use to give them a running start. I've read that mixing wax coated plastic and normal wood/foundation frames can be problematic.

I was thinking I'd rotate out the wooden frames over time. Will the presence of some drawn normal frames lower acceptance of the wax coated plastic?

[Michael Bush]

Drawn frames are a good thing to have for a package and irelevant to acceptance. It's the bare foundation that's the issue. You don't have to encorage the bees to do anything with the drawn frames, they will just use them.

The issue of bare foundation is like putting a piece of cherry pie next your child when you're trying to get them to eat broccoli. You need to just put the broccoli out or the child will just want the cherry pie.

If you put wax foundation next to plastic the bees will go for the wax foundation and ignore the plastic.