Anyone using green Pierco drone frames for varroa control?

[Rob73]

I purchased a few for use this year. I am unsure of how often to remove and freeze the frame. I dont want to have a mite factory, but I am sure there is overkill on pulling that frame out. From the bee math about every 10-23 days or so it needs to be pulled and froze. I am assuming it will get larva laid in it before the whole frame is filled out, so that will have to be taken into consideration at the beginning. Also, is it better to run it in a deep, or cut it down and put it up in a medium?

If anyone else has had any experience with those, what works best or are they not worth the trouble?


Rob

[NewbeeNnc]

You'll want to pull it and freeze it when the majority, say 95% is capped over. You just have to be really really careful not to get your days mixed up or you will have a mite factory. One downside is when it's in your brood chamber you have to pull all your supers to get to it. Many talk good about them for IPM but just like anything there are downsides. There are more ups than downs with this method that is unless you forget to pull it then you won't see the good in it at all.

[Ravenseye]

I use them. I tend to place them and pull them all at the same time. I have a chalkboard in the barn that I write reminder dates on. Stuff like when queens were installed or when drone frames were put in. I check back in about two weeks and pull the frames no matter what. If we have bad weather, that gives me a cushion to get them pulled before three weeks.

I keep one set ready to go while I freeze the others. That makes it quick and easy working the colonies. Last year I cut down the deep drone frames when I switched to medium brood boxes. Worked just fine.

[Rob73]

Did you just cut the bottom off the drone frame and leave it like that, or do you have to fasten that bottom brace back to the frame?

[D Coates]

I use them on my hives. I pull them every 3 weeks. I only have space for freezing 5 frames at a time. What I do is remove them from 5 of my hives into a carboard nuc. I put the nuc in the freezer when I get home. The next day I do the same to the remaining hives. I only have 9 at this point and it could will eventually become a bottleneck in my plans as I expand.

When I don't want to use them any more (during heavy flow) I put them in the 1 or 10 position when I'm putting a frozen frame back in there. I normally have it in the 3 or 7 position. They will still empty it out, I scratch off the cappings and shake out as many dead drones as I can before I replace the frame. Normally they will fill it with honey at that point. If it's before winter I'll pull the frame once full of honey for a spring boost. Because I know when I put that frame back I don't have drone emerging before I expected them in early Spring. It's that first 2 or 3 frames of drone brood (6 - 9 weeks) that can keep the overall mite numbers low until after flow when I start using the frames again for Fall.

[Rob73]

OK, now that makes sense to me. I purchased one for each hive. I should have considered getting enough to swap them out! I didnt think of that. Putting them in the nuc sounds like a great way to keep the mess to a minimum. Why do you run it in the 3/7 position, but in heavy flow 1/10 position? I am not sure of the reasons behind this. Do they give it more attention at the 3/7 spots, but when they are busy you want it moved to the outside?

[Ravenseye]

I just trimmed the bottoms so that they'd fit in the medium. They're not in long enough for me to worry about anything fancy!

[Rob73]

Easy enough. I wonder why they dont make that in a medium. I appreciate the help!

[NewbeeNnc]

Easy enough. I wonder why they dont make that in a medium. I appreciate the help!

I've wondered that as well.

[Rob73]

I sent an email to the Pierco people, asking about the medium drone frame. Well see if they have any plans on making any.....

[D Coates]

Why do you run it in the 3/7 position, but in heavy flow 1/10 position? I am not sure of the reasons behind this. Do they give it more attention at the 3/7 spots, but when they are busy you want it moved to the outside?

These are my personal findings but the queen will ignore laying in frames in the 1/10 position. In the 3/7 position she'll lay all day long. In the 2/8 position she will sometimes lay on the inner side of the frame. Personally I prefer the hive focus on the flow not the disruption of raising drones only to have to clean out the frames of frozen ones during flow. The hive will invariably fill some of the gaps between the 2 deeps with drone comb during this time. I let them do this and raise some drones there. Once the flow is over I'll move them back to the 3/7 position and hit them with powered sugar and OA vapor. It's a 1,2,3 punch that seems to keep the mites off ballance.

Requeening is another great way to break the varoa cycle but that's another post.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

I use them in my teaching hive and you can see the results at
http://americasbeekeeper.com/Gallery.htm
I distributed a case of Pierco green frames at class last year. All the new beekeepers seem happy too.

[Rob73]

Hey AmericasBeekeeper, you have a nice group of photos. I am hoping I will be happy with mine.

With all the information I have received today, I think I can make it work!

D Coates, I made some notes on what you said and I'll give it a try this year.

[CentralPAguy]

I also purchased some this year and thought that the wax coating looked rather weak on it.

For those that had bees build on it, did you need to add additional wax on it to get the bees to draw the frames. Thanks.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

The wax coating is perfect. As with all plastic foundation feed copious sugar syrup or use during a nectar flow. All tose workers gorged with sugar will have to develop wax scales until there is somewhere to put the sugar.

[Omie]

They also sell sheets of unwired wax drone size foundation for deeps.