when to introduce small cell foundation?

[blkcloud]

I'm going to get all of my 8 or so hives on small cell foundation this year, I have a couple of questions..
1st, once I have the brood box full of small cell foundation..will the bee's build any drone cells?
2nd, do I need to add these frames 1-2 per week until they are all in there, of just put them all in at once? i'll probably go with sheets of 4.9 dadant unless you all know there is something better out there..I almost ordered HSC but after reading about it till my eyes almost fell out I decided against it mainly because of the bees not wanting to take to it as well as wax.thanks!

[Michael Bush]

>1st, once I have the brood box full of small cell foundation..will the bee's build any drone cells?

Of course. Bees always build drone cells during the spring and summer.

>2nd, do I need to add these frames 1-2 per week until they are all in there, of just put them all in at once?

I would feed them in one at a time as the hive can handle the extra space. I'd put them in the middle of the brood nest where they will draw it nice and small for the purpose of brood. I'd only put it in if they can fill the gap with festooning bees first.

> i'll probably go with sheets of 4.9 dadant unless you all know there is something better out there..I almost ordered HSC but after reading about it till my eyes almost fell out I decided against it mainly because of the bees not wanting to take to it as well as wax.thanks!

The HSC is the most foolproof. I've had good luck with the PF120s and PF100s from Mann Lake.

[blkcloud]

thanks MB, I just ordered 50 of the pf 100's

[peggjam]

"I just ordered 50 of the pf 100's"

Good choice:).

[pcelar]

I'm going to get all of my 8 or so hives on small cell foundation this year
Excuse my not understanding this; does this mean that you are replacing something else (existing frames) with small cell frames?

[blkcloud]

Excuse my not understanding this; does this mean that you are replacing something else (existing frames) with small cell frames?
Thats right, all of my frames in the brood boxes are the 5.4 size, i'm switching to 4.9 ;)