Ordering Hive's Tomorrow, help!

[Budvar]

Pretty much stuck on 8-frame mediums, after much reading here and elsewhere.

I'm 99% sold on wax (easier for beginner, used for eons, etc), but that 1% has me curious.

If you had to do it all over again, as a beginner, with no previous experience, would you use wax or plastic foundation? If plastic, which kind and size.

There's a local beek I've been e-mailing. She seems to think using wax would take a lot of honey or syrup to draw out all that foundation. And that the queen couldn't start laying right away.

Thanks for your input!

Chris
E. Wa. State

[drobbins]

it has a lot to do with what's available from the supplier you're getting your hives from
I assume you'd like to get stuff all from the same place
wax works good, it's the old standard
the plastic from Mann Lake (PF100/PF120)is close to small cell and would be my choice but that might require an extra order for you
the bees take to wax quicker but I can't see how it would actually take more resources to draw out plastic
my first hive had pierco plastic foundation and they drew it out fine

Dave

[riverrat]

wax or plastic either one will require the same amount of honey or syrup to drawout. The only way to get aroung this would be to use permacomb or a comparable product of already drawn plastic comb. I have used both plastic foundation and wax I started with diragilt. It didnt take long for me to figure out that stuff isnt any good. I prefer wax and would not use anything else. It is a little more work to install but I think the bees like it better. If using plastic foundation or wax the queen will not start laying until the bees have pulled out enough comb for her to start laying.

[MarkZ]

pierco seems to be working nice for me, Some of the expert long time beeks seem to like my hives real well when they see how perfect the frames are, I have no holes through the wax like so many of the old wax frames I see in others hives. Of course some say that these holes are a good thing. I have heard that the bees won't build on pierco as fast as wax?? I have never done a comparison so who knows? There are some tricks to being successfull with pierco like getting rid of any cross comb between the frames before it gets out of hand. Peek in on them once a week or so while wax is being built. also, If building wax I like to feed the hive. just makes it go a bit faster. I think that the cost works out to be real close to the same. but I have no labor at all for assembly, nails, glue, fixture...etc.
I also can melt the wax off these and start over. How many wood frames have you ever seen used over after use. Even in the case of disease they could be steam sterilized and be good as new again. The pierco come pre dipped in wax so I just spray the foundation with sugar water prior to install in the hive, gets the bees up in there to start working it. Anyway, your chioce, no wrong answer here. I started many packages on nothing but new pierco and they did just fine getting started. Just feed them! and dont expect a real good honey crop untill its all drawn out.

[Chef Isaac]

I like plastic as i do not have time to build frames and insert foundation.

[Ruben]

Wax or wax starter strips. One sheet of foundation will make starter strips for a whole hive body.

[Grant]

Plastic works great if everything is in place (strong hive with a good flow). I've tried starting packages and swarms on plastic with disastrous results. I wouldn't attempt plastic unless the hive was established, stout and strong and the flow was a flowin'

Anything less just seems to cause the colony to piddle and dwindle. That's usually when we blame the queen and start looking to replace her!

Grant
Jackson, MO http://www.MakingPlasticFramesWork.homestead.com

[Budvar]

Thanks everyone!!!!!!

Exactly what I needed! Think I'm going with wax (with big eyes everytime I see a plastic foundation article).

[phil c]

I have been using duragilt with very good results. Bees built on very quickly installation is much easier than straight wax. I know others have had problems with it but I havent. Once again, many answers and none are wrong, Good Luck! Find out what works for you and your girls and have fun!

[Hobie]

If I had to do it all over again, I would have skipped the (wax) foundation that I bought and gone foundationless from day 1.