Foundation - what kind do you use

Greetings everyone,
I just thought I'd see what type of foundation everybody uses, and why. Whether it is plastic (or an individual type ov plastic), DuraGilt, crimp-wire, or other. Please post here and say why you use that type. Let's try to keep it friendly ;). I'm just trying to gather some pros and cons of the different types. Thanks in advance!

Pierco plastic, white and black (although only about 10% is black) in wood frames. Because plastic is fast (no wiring), but I still like building wood frames so I take my time where I want it.

I use a mixture of these:
Mann Lake PF120s (plastic 4.96mm cell size one piece frame and foundation)
Foundationless (frame with wood comb guide of some kind or another. Most are beveled top bars)
PermaComb (fully drawn plastic 5.0mm cell size, heated and wax dipped and shaken off)
Honey Super Cell (fully drawn plastic 4.9mm cell size, cut down to mediums)
Small Cell (4.9mm) wax from various suppliers (Brushy Mt, Dadant etc.)

Cell size is important to me.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm

I have a mixture of these:

Black RiteCell
White or yellow Plasticell
Foundationless
Duragilt

I prefer foundationless, but next choice is RiteCell.

Apart from Supercell which I use to regress with.....I don't like plastic in my hives so I use wooden frames with either crimped wire SC wax or foundationless. This year there is one exception to that, I am testing some plastic cross frame supports to see how they work with foundationless.

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com...uctinfo/556SR/

Hundreds of sheets of wax large cell from the early 50's that was given to me by another beekeeper. I'm going to do a test in a few hives with some un-embossed foundation I make from my own wax this spring. Saw a thread on here or somewhere else how to do it and I just have to give it a try.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NasalSponge

Apart from Supercell which I use to regress with.....I don't like plastic in my hives so I use wooden frames with either crimped wire SC wax or foundationless. This year there is one exception to that, I am testing some plastic cross frame supports to see how they work with foundationless.

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com...uctinfo/556SR/

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I did that on 5 frames of foundationless and they work beautifully for me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rwurster

Saw a thread on here or somewhere else how to do it and I just have to give it a try.

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Can you post a link when you find it? Thx.

Cool, I wasn't sure how they would respond to them.

Wired deep wax foundation, cross wired in wood frames. Wax foundation for cut comb.

For those using plastic frames, don't the plastic frames hurt your hands? They do mine.

I was totally natural comb, but now I am going to 5.1 wired foundation for the brood boxes, Rite Cell for the honey supers. I have some plastic pf*** frames in brood boxes that I got with some purchased nucs this last year, and I can't stand them and will rotate them out asap, the bees build WAY too much burr comb between the frames and on top of them, makes it a royal pain in the butt to work the hive with them in there IMO. Like MP says, they hurt my hands too especially if they have alot of honey in them. John

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lU3C4f2Xfc

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...light=embossed

The video is what I watched from a link in the above thread. Good stuff.

Would anyone in their collection of bee goodies have any small cell, 4.9 mm, plastic foundation? Would like to get several sheets both medium & deep.
I now use all mediums, wooden frame, small cell wax/wired foundation. I want to make my own on a small scale until a mill can be in my future.

Thanks

I'm using wired foundation and cross wires. Wedge top bars since we have had problems with sagging foundation in slotted top bars, and all the people I know who have tried plastic foundation don't like it (not that many, but it warped badly on them).

Peter

Quote:

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Originally Posted by psfred

I'm using wired foundation and cross wires. Wedge top bars since we have had problems with sagging foundation in slotted top bars

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I use all grooved top bar frames and hot wax for installing foundation. Wedges require nails. 5 nails to hold wedge is a waste of time and money. The wax is free. Grooved/wax makes it easier to replace rotate out old comb...no wedges to break when nails are pulled.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Michael Palmer

I use all grooved top bar frames and hot wax

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I assumed all you "big guys" used plastic frames since it would seem an overwhelming job to assemble and insert wax in large quantities.
Since you apparently don't use frames like pierco's, can I ask why?
A note here, Pierco tells me they now offer double waxed frames.

Mann lake's plastic Rite Cell waxed coated.

I have a bunch of the wood frame plasticell (deeps & med.), but am transitioning to the Walter Kelley foundationless (type F) that the girls have been taking to quite well. I am going to order 250 more of the med. soon as I am going to start 2 med. super only hives in April and am trying to avoid buying an extractor for now. I am probably going to stay under 10 hives at my residence for now.

I use rite cell and foundationless. Gonna run all foundationless in the brood chambers and plastic in the honey supers. I also have quite a bit of undrawn rite cell that I am going to cut into starter strips for the foundationless frames, no more paint sticks although they worked great!

I use mostly foundationless because it's cheaper, and I do a good deal of cut comb anyway. I have a pile of plastic frames that were left at my place that I wax and use as spacers to get them to draw straight foundationless. I use whatever cell size is convenient or the bees make for themselves.