[maverick]

hi all:
from the start , I began using frames with plastic foundation. after each season's honey harvest, I scrape off the drown wax to prevent wax moth during storage.
am I doing this right. i.e. I am wasting valuable bee recourses early in the season just to draw out the foundation that I scraped off and discarded at end of the season when they could be making honey.
how do you guys do it?
thanks

 

[Dan Williamson]

>>I am wasting valuable bee recourses early in the season just to draw out the foundation that I scraped off and discarded at end of the season when they could be making honey

yes it is a waste of valuable resources.

You can use Bt (brand name certan) or para-moth for control of wax moth. A search on this site will provide discussions on both.

[ May 12, 2006, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: Dan Williamson ]

 

[maverick]

hi dan:
thanks for your response
assuming that I reuse the same drown out foundation frames for more than one season, do I wash the frames at the beginning of the season (to get rid of dust and so on) or the bees will clean them.
again thank you for your help

 

[Dan Williamson]

>>do I wash the frames at the beginning of the season (to get rid of dust and so on)

You don't need to.

>>or the bees will clean them.

The bees will clean them up. No worries.

 

[wayacoyote]

Furthermore, a little moisture in honeycomb goes a long way to make mold. The bees will clean that too of course.

I must admit that Ive never heard of anyone doing as you did. I'm curious how it worked for you in the bees replacing the comb the next season. Did you coat the plastic with more wax or anything?

Waya

 

[maverick]

>>I'm curious how it worked for you in the bees replacing the comb the next season. Did you coat the plastic with more wax or anything?

no I never coated the plastic with any wax. I have loyal bunch of hardworking gals working for me.
every year they draw out a fresh white coat of wax then fill it.
man all this time I have been wasting their energy on wax that ended up in the trash.
now I want to see if this years crop will be substantially more than last. yummy.
I must admit that my bees seem to like the wooden framed plastic foundation rather than the all plastic frame/foundation.
you can see it in the result.


thanks a bunch Dan And waya for your reply.

 

[Tom Chaudoir]

...wax that ended up in the trash.

Ouch. Wax is a hive product. You can sell it. You can make candles and sell them. If the wax is ugly and dark you can use the candles yourself.

I use wax with a tube to weld foundation into frames. A chunk of wax in a bait hive is supposed to help give it a bee smell.

You can waterproof leather with it. There are a lot of uses. Think about keeping it next time.