[spunky]

Not been a beek that long ; but I never have seen a hive from a package that cant draw comb. I mean not from starter strips, wax foundation or black Pierco. I mean, the only reason they have a brood-nest is from old drawn comb I had in the hive when I installed them. The queen lays a good pattern, no mites, got drones, but they cant draw new, strait comb to save their butts. They build comb around the Pierco, crooked on the starter strips, in small bunches, on the lid , nothing even close to filling out a frame

I mean has anyone ever seen this before ? In the few hives I had over the years I sure have not ?

 

[mxr618]

Hey, Spunky -

I was thinking the same thing about my Pierco frames. I didn't get much honey at all this year (and with the flows, I think I should have) and I can't help but wonder if the girls just don't like my white Pierco frames. They gravitate to the wooden frames but not the plastic.

Has anyone ever heard of this?

 

[rmdial]

I am a third year beekeeper and I have heard opinions across the board on different frames and foundation. My experience is good with Pierco super frames and plasticell foundation in wooden frames. Not so much with Duragilt. When I installed the plastic Pierco honey super frames I sprayed my 1 to 1 syrup on them. Don't know if that made a difference or not but they drew it out so I am swearing by that technique.

We have quite a few professional beekeepers in our local club and it is funny hearing them argue over different products and techniques and how techniques different from what they use cannot possibly work. But they all seem to make a pretty good living at it.

Good luck,

Soapy

 

[raosmun]

For what it is worth. My bees just do not care for plastic period. They will draw it out overtime, and some frames they will not touch :s I have been trying foumdationless, they will start from scrach before touching the plastic. In fact I had a few all plastic (white) frames they woundn't draw out at all. So I cut out the foundation except for about a 1/2" strip at the top put in two strands of fishing line and they drew it out perfectly. Go figure :s

 

[oldenglish]

I have the black frames for the brood boxes and the white for the supers. I also have several standard wood/wax frames. The trick to get them to draw out the plastic is to brush on an extra layer of wax, I find that if you do that they will treat it just as they do the wax foundation. I have noticed that if they are slow building up they will clean off the outer frames before they get to drawing it out and then they wont touch them, so I just rotate those out with fresh wax painted frames. Same goes for the supers, if you put them on too early they will clean off the wax and them not touch them.

 

[mrspock]

A funny thing. I swarm captured into an unwanted deep of pierco rotting in my garage.

They drew comb and filled in in two weeks - Faster than either of my two other foundationless hives.


Crazy stuff.

 

[honeydreams]

Ok some things to think of some times it not the foundation that is the problem but bees will draw out comb as they need it. If the queen is doing good by our messure but poorly on the bees stand point they will not draw out comb at all. I have used wax fondation Dura junk, and pirco I seen them do nothing with all the types and I seen them do wonders with all of it. I feel it has to do with the Queen and how strong the hive is and nectar flows. I now just use wood frames and plastic foundation.

 

[KQ6AR]

Some of my bees draw strange comb on the green plastic drone combs, which I think pierco makes them.

Not having any problems with the black frames mann lake sells though. I have over 100 of them in use now. Also no problems with the yellow plastic honey frames they sell.

 

[taxonomy]

We have hundreds of Pierco frames in use. Our bees do wonderful on them, drawing them quickly and making very beautiful comb. We've switched over entirely to it. We're now exclusively on all plastic Pierco. We bought in a couple hundred frames when we were pressed for them and didn't have time to build wooden frames. The performance was so good that I am done building wooden frames forever.

By my measure a medium all plastic Perico frame has 19% more surface area than a same size wooden frame and a deep has around 15% more surface area. You wind up with a denser hive and more honey in each super.

Pierco is so much better than duraguilt that I would never go back to it.

There are many other factors in bees drawing comb besides the foundation. It's very likely you have a poor queen or some other factor that's holding the bees back. Our bees love Pierco.

 

[cmonkey]

I have Pierco blacks and they seem to like them fine. I thought something was going on for a while until I realized that we were in a dearth and as soon as the new flow started, they were back in business.

I put a few wooden frames in with foundation I can't name (borrowed) and they don't much like it. The were happy to build wild comb on it when the foundation came out of the grooves, though.

 

[bbbbeeman]

yes, the key to pierco or any other foundation is the layer of wax that should be on them, sometimes the bees take the wax off and use it for capping, and other uses. so wax has to be reapplyed.good luck rock

 

[WilliamsHoneyBees]

I agree. I bought some peirco off a commercial beekeeper that was selling out. it had been sitting in his barn for 4 or 5 years in the boxes and it didn't seem to have much wax or wax smell left on it. They would not draw comb out on these for nothing. I painted them with wax and they drew it out like crazy.