rolta plastics

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ladaok

House Bee
Joined
May 25, 2016
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Location
bte puke bay of plenty new zealand
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I'm using their vacuum formed plastic foundation. ... having great results
bees seem to build up cells V quickly I would say better than wax, and way better than the solid injection moulded foundation.
Anyone else ?
 
ladaok said:
I'm using their vacuum formed plastic foundation. ... having great results
bees seem to build up cells V quickly I would say better than wax, and way better than the solid injection moulded foundation.
Anyone else ?
Click to expand...

I cannot understand what means "quickly". Bees do combs when they need them.
.
What advantage gives quickly made?
.
If bees are not rippen to draw combs, do not give them foundations.

Plastic foundations have a problem, how to clean off old combs from plastic.

.for example artificial swarm is a good opportunity to get new combs. An AS draws 2 foundation boxes in one week.
 
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Its not a product I am familiar with. As far as I am aware, there are not too many beekeepers using plastic foundation in Ireland: I think that the USA and your corner of the globe use it to a much greater extent.
 
ladaok said:
I'm using their vacuum formed plastic foundation. ... having great results
bees seem to build up cells V quickly I would say better than wax, and way better than the solid injection moulded foundation.
Anyone else ?
Click to expand...

Not sure exactly what you mean, which type. we use "Nicot Baticadre" for our supers and they seem fine. I think these are injection Moulded. Could you expand?
Thanks,
Richard
 
The rolta cells are a lot deeper than other plas/wax foundation i've seen, therefore less wax required to complete a cell
1) So if a hive can produce 'x' amount of wax/time period ... logics say the foundation is completed more quickly

2) Logics again would say ... less wax production/frame ...&c

3) 8 Kg honey : 1 Kg wax

4) Recycling frames, is way easier than wax, esp anything with wax moth damage

5) Because I make all my own gear, importing this product myself, means i'm not beholding to any dam useless supply merchant in NZ

Once your geared up for assembling this foundation, doesn't seem like much extra work. + the benefits way exceed any perceived drawbacks. I do pre wax the foundation
 
ladaok said:
The rolta cells are a lot deeper than other plas/wax foundation i've seen, therefore less wax required to complete a cell
1) So if a hive can produce 'x' amount of wax/time period ... logics say the foundation is completed more quickly

2) Logics again would say ... less wax production/frame ...&c

3) 8 Kg honey : 1 Kg wax

4) Recycling frames, is way easier than wax, esp anything with wax moth damage

5) Because I make all my own gear, importing this product myself, means i'm not beholding to any dam useless supply merchant in NZ

Once your geared up for assembling this foundation, doesn't seem like much extra work. + the benefits way exceed any perceived drawbacks. I do pre wax the foundation
Click to expand...

I don't think the Rolta video is very good - it's not clear if we're talking about a foundation or a comb. Two vacuum-formed layers are stuck together and stapled in place but the video stops there. What do the bees do after that? Do they have to do any drawing out or do they coat the plastic in wax as it is. No sign that it's available for National sizes either.

CVB
 
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I have thought about using plastic and rubbing your own beeswax over them, especially as we don't always know what is in foundation wax we buy.
I think I might try some in a super first
 
REDWOOD said:
I have thought about using plastic and rubbing your own beeswax over them, especially as we don't always know what is in foundation wax we buy.
I think I might try some in a super first
Click to expand...

Just melt some and apply with one of them mini paint rollers.
 
charlievictorbravo said:
I don't think the Rolta video is very good - it's not clear if we're talking about a foundation or a comb. Two vacuum-formed layers are stuck together and stapled in place but the video stops there. What do the bees do after that? Do they have to do any drawing out or do they coat the plastic in wax as it is. No sign that it's available for National sizes either.

CVB
Click to expand...

Yes they have to draw out wax for the cells, but they use a lot less in doing so with this foundation

Why not make your own foundation. looks easy, but would be a PITA

Pre waxing is V important for non wax foundation, I do it by melting a slab of wax in an old saucepan with hot water, on an old bbq By using water in the pot and moving the pot to a good position above the heat source, you can control the wax temp, .. ie : it wont go over 100* c. I use an ordinary 50 mm paint brush dip brush, 20 +/- mm into water wax mix, and that's easy enough for one face of the frame
 
How do you make the blank wax sheets that you put through the rollers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
REDWOOD said:
How do you make the blank wax sheets that you put through the rollers
Click to expand...

Pour the wax into level moulds so the wax tablets come out 8 to 10mm thick, and as long as you wish to make them.
 
So the rollers will take that thickness down to foundation size no problem. There must be a lot of waste material that needs to be recycled


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
REDWOOD said:
There must be a lot of waste material that needs to be recycled
Click to expand...

Hardly any wax to trim if the tablets are made just over the width required for the finished foundation, there is no sideways expansion from the rollers...just forward.

I buy the wax release solution from the company in the link below, they also make a nice wax ribbon producing roller, produces smooth thick wax rolls to feed into the embossing rollers.http://www.rietsche.de/index.php/en/beeswax-foundation-machines/29-rietsche-wax-band-machine
 
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