Advice gratefully accepted.

[Wilco]

I'm a newbie, so sorry if I'm over stepping, but is this the problem with the supers not being built on? They've just put the plastic foundation in without coating in beeswax, so bees just 'see' a plastic wall rather than foundation? And, yes, even as a newbie, I hate the idea of plastic foundation. I own a 3d printer, so could print my own at next to no cost, but I'd rather have beeswax foundation.

Andy

Not overstepping at all, ask away! Yes. As I understand it, plastic foundation is more popular in the US and from what I've seen they tend to dip it in wax to get the bees to draw it. Apparently they can draw it without the wax but are slower to do so. Personally I'm not a fan of the idea of it and it sounds like it actually creates more work. Only advantage I can think of is you can spin it harder for extraction without fear of blowouts amd that's a marginal thing. Wired frames are the way forward in my view.

 

[rossbyjove]

I'm a newbie, so sorry if I'm over stepping, but is this the problem with the supers not being built on? They've just put the plastic foundation in without coating in beeswax, so bees just 'see' a plastic wall rather than foundation? And, yes, even as a newbie, I hate the idea of plastic foundation. I own a 3d printer, so could print my own at next to no cost, but I'd rather have beeswax foundation.

Andy

My first swarm came with one plastic foundation sheet , untreated.
They would not touch it and built comb away from the foundation , making inspection extremely difficult.
Removed it at the start of this season.
It doesn't even clean up well.
Binned it.

 

[Sutty]

Bit off-topic, but I wonder if you could 3D print in beeswax?

 

[Wilco]

Probably. Wonder if that's what the Humblebee lot are doing as they're selling drawn foundation.

Bit off-topic, but I wonder if you could 3D print in beeswax?

 

[Sutty]

Probably. Wonder if that's what the Humblebee lot are doing as they're selling drawn foundation.

That was what initially made me wonder when I saw drawn comb for sale. I think it would be very slow unless kept cold to speed setting.

 

[JamezF]

That was what initially made me wonder when I saw drawn comb for sale. I think it would be very slow unless kept cold to speed setting.

You generally need the existing printed part to be warm so the next printed layer bonds well.

James