Advantage of plastic foundation that I've found

[valleyman]

Since I have spent many hours hunting queens to requeen and tearing down Q cells. I have found that my pierco plastic foundation is far superior to wax. it does not allow them to eat away the bottom and sides giving the queens places to travel from one side of the frame to the other easily. They still aren't drawing out the foundation all the way to the edges on all of the frames, but it just leaves black foundation not empty space. i have found that on the wax that is not drawn all the way and leaves a space between the comb and the frame that they can hide queen cells/cups that can be hard to locate or at least is more time consuming. Once again I have had black pierco wax coated foundation that I brushed on another coat of wax and they started to draw it at once even without a significant flow, while leaving the wax foundation alone.

[Bsweet]

Also makes cutting out/cleaning up wax moth or SHB damage easy, you don't lose both sides of the comb due to damage on one side. Jim

[alpha6]

Nothing worse than losing a bottom bar when prying out frames...not a problem with pierco.

[AmericasBeekeeper]

It is easier to see eggs on black foundation and you lose little when you scrape the foundation every few years to eliminate toxins.

[BeeGhost]

I melted some wax down today from burr comb and such and painted it on 5 deep frames for a nuc and 2 frames in my Italians super to see how much of a difference it will make in getting them to draw it out faster. The Italians are doing good now and are building comb in the super at a decent rate...........looks like I might have some honey from my first year package hive that I installed in May!!

Another reason that plastic foundation is good is if you are in a pinch and need empty frames to rubber band existing comb from a cut out, you just pop the foundation out!! No need to take apart waxed frames!!

[Grant]

I think adding the extra wax is essential to the acceptance of plastic foundation. It gives the bees the resources to begin drawing out the comb. Unfortunately, most of the beginners kits feature plastic foundation and any reluctance upon the bees to draw it out only frustrates the the newbee and retards the development of colony.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[valleyman]

I use an old cheap crock pot to melt it in. I use chip brushes to brush it on, they last for long time. $1.49 for a 4" one at harbor freight. I know it's chinese but you can't find the 4" every where. My bees will start forming it as soon as I put it in, draw it quick as needed.
With Kelleys sgx frames it just pops right in. So much easier than messing with wire and pins. Plus they won't/can't eat part of it away as they sometimes do wax.

[B Brother]

We learned that the black pierco is by far the best! Stay away from durgilt it's just as bad as wired foundation when it comes to cleaning up a bad colony or restoring after a slight flood! Pierco can be pressure washed, rolled with wax, and drawn out quickly by the bees with great view of all stages of the sweet girl. Love that black pierco!!

[BeeGhost]

I use an old cheap crock pot to melt it in.

Thanks for that tip, now I just need to congure up an old crock pot...........time to go garage saling!!

[frostygoat]

However, the impenetrabality of Pierco is also a curse for removing queen cells for propagation.

[Vance G]

A 3" non foam short knap paint roller works well for applying melted wax. I find that about 175 is hot enough and sets up fairly fast. There is a learning curve in learning to apply the wax. I make a delicate pass accross one side and immediately flip the frame and make a pass over top or bottom (a deep) then I finish covering the frame and can do one more frame if I press hard before reloading with wax. Do not try to really soak it up on the reloads though you must bring the roller up to temperature the first dipping.

[valleyman]

It's a shame that pierco doesn't apply more wax when they do their application. I understand that you can buy it unwaxed some cheaper, but it comes in large quanitys that way.
Yes it would be hard to remove a queen cell for propagation, but when tearing down queen cells you are not punching thru like you do wax. I have lots of wax also, so I am experiencing both. It will be Pierco only from now on. No more duragilt, ever!!

[Bodhi]

Plastic foundation? Sure. Black, waxed Rite Cell is great! Plastic frames? NO! I have some plastic frames, and for what ever reason, the bees love to build burr comb all over the tops of those.

[valleyman]

Bodhi,
Sounds like your bee space was too deep.

[Bodhi]

Seems like too much space, I agree with you there. I could have one plastic frame and nine wood and they will make a mess on top of the one plastic frame. I've never measured to see if there is a variation in height, but there is nothing obvious. Next trip out, I'll bring a steel rule and check for a height difference across the top bars.

[colbec]

I think there also might be an advantage when it comes to mouse damage. Mice tend to want to bust holes in foundation to make enough room for a tennis ball sized nest. On plain wax it is easy for them to break through, but they can't do the same with plastic as easily. I have noted some chewing at the clipped out bottom corners where some critter was maybe trying a mouthful and gave up.

Yes I know, if I have enough bees the mice don't get in, but there's always that one weak colony. My cats are doing their level best to keep them down as well.

[AR Beekeeper]

The burr comb above plastic frames is probably caused by the thin topbar portion of the frame. The older books on beekeeping stated that after the top bar was increased to 7/8 in. burr comb was not as bad as before. The plastic frames are a different height than the wooden frames and that would probably cause the bees to want to bridge the distance.