Apidea Mating Mini Nuc Foundation

[Swift Nick]

I have read that you should put a starter strip of foundation in the Apidea frames, I have also read that sometimes the bees then draw drone comb, is there any advantage or disadvantage putting in a cut sheet that fill the whole of the Apidia frame? What do people usually do?
I am waiting for a book by R Brown, but in the meantime don’t have much info.
Thanks Nick

 

[madasafish]

The method of filling an Apidea with bees is to invert it and open the sliding floor and pour approx 300ml of what will be damp bees (sprayed gently when collected to prevent them flying off).

Using a full sheet of foundation covering the entire frame would almost certainly result in it being broken and flattened by the weight of bees.. And as the bees are usually young they draw wax easily when being fed (as they will be)..

Sheer pragmatism...

(and you want the bees to bond as a colony - having probably been shaken in from several hives - so the closer they packed initially the better...

 

[JEP]

Using strips of foundation (or last years combs with the bottom half cut off) is best in these little mating hives. It makes it easier to put in a good number of bees when you tip them in from the bottom. Bees don't usually draw many drone cells when in small mating hives like Apidea or Swi-Bines.

 

[Swift Nick]

Thank you,
Just about to add foundation, so strips it is.
Cheers Nick

 

[masterBK]

I use a stick of wax and a soldering iron to attach the strips of foundation to the top bar of these tiny frames.