Wire Options Emergency

[Sundance]

After inspecting my 15 Nuc's last evening I discovered 7 or 8 need to be moved into a 10 frame box ASAP.

I just found out the frames and wire I ordered were delayed and not shipped until today.........

I have 60 frames loaded with small cell and wax tubed into place. They are not wired...... and need to be because the few small cell frames in the Nuc's I placed earlier are being drawn wavy.

Question is..........

I have thought that welding wire for wire feeds may work for the 60 frames I have. I can get 35 thousandth's but can not seem to figure out how this relates to gauge. I have 27 gauge coming.

Any ideas?? Or should I live with the wavy unwired frames I have now????

Got to get at least 7 of these into larger quarters quickly.

Thanks

[Michael Bush]

How wavy is it? If the bees quickly draw it, it usually stays pretty straight. If they don't then it gets more wavy. I'd just put it in unwired.

[Sundance]

As a newbee the parameters of wavy are unknown as to what is acceptable or not.

Since it is the first small cell run I will go for it as is and cross my fingers.

Thanks Michael

[Michael Bush]

A half an inch in both directions isn't the best, but you can deal with it. Totally buckled is a total mess. A quarter of an inch one way or another isn't much of a big deal.

[Drifter]

27 gauge is .017 inches by my handy dandy wire and sheet steel gauge . I looked today to make sure .

I don't believe I would try welding wire for a MIG as it is copper coated . I have no idea what that would do to the honey or bees .

Drifter

[Sundance]

I got 5 Nuc's moved into 10 frame boxed. I reinforced the foundation by pushing small nails through the sides and "spot welding" the nail to the foundation with melted beeswax.

Hopefully the wire will come soon.

[Flyer Jim]

You can use bobby pins to hold the foundation. cut them about 3/4" long and stick them through the holes in the sides of the frames. You can also try mono fishing line instead of wire. Just a couple of ideas.
Jim

[nursebee]

Relax and have a homebrew...

Keep some extra pierco on hand for just such situations?

Or, what is so durn urgent to use an inferior product now rather than when it gets there? Have they already raised another queen and ready to swarm? A few days might set you back a little but what the heck. Put them in with starter strip plain wax. If the bees really need it they will handle the rest.