permadent/permacell question

[Lesli St. Clair]

I've never seen these "fully drawn" plastics in place. Do the bees coat them with wax? Does the queen lay in them before there's wax? How do they work?

[naturebee]

They are due to have this product in 4.9 out shortly. But to answer your question. They will likely come coated with wax. The queen will lay in them if not given the choice not to.

My question is,,, What effect does a plastic cell have on the colonies ability to supercede, which requires reshaping of a cell to fit the specifications needed to rear a queen?

[Phoenix]

What effect does a plastic cell have on the colonies ability to supercede, which requires reshaping of a cell to fit the specifications needed to rear a queen?

I think you have the wrong impression as to how a queen cell is formed, it is not reshaped entirely, the basic shape of the cell base remains intact, it is just funneled outward and formed into a capsule similar to a peanut shell.

Do the bees coat them with wax?

Lesli, the plastic formed cells take place of the wax, the only thing the bees will need to do to the cells is cap them off. The cells will get drawn out deeper if the spacing between frames is too wide, but in most cases the cappings of the cells will actually sit below the surface of the the wall height.

Yes the queen lays in them just like any other cell, and they work just like any other frame, just without the need for all the wax production, meaning more honey in the long run.

The plastic cells also prevents damage by the wax moths, and the SHB larvae can't tunnel through the cell walls, therefore contaminating less of your crop.