First Attempt With No Foundation.

[Dishmop]

Took this out yesterday..

No foundation at all. Not even a starter strip.

Its one of two that Outlander put in when he inspected for me.
The other one is better filled than this one but this was easier to get out to take a pic of.

I suppose they might have fully filled it if I had left it a bit longer.

 

[madasafish]

Looks nice.

I'll try to find one of mine and try to outdo you.. but mine are not so straight...

 

[Dishmop]

Just had a shuffle around in the shed and got a pic of the other one.
The missing bit was stuck to the frame next to it and I didnt notice..

 

[meetballuk]

bit wonky, need to buy your bees a set square
looks delicious nun the less

 

[madasafish]

bit wonky, need to buy your bees a set square
looks delicious nun the less

It's cheaper! Important to those who keep as a hobby and are impoverished OAPs..

Lend us a fiver please..

 

[Dishmop]

It's cheaper! Important to those who keep as a hobby and are impoverished OAPs..

Lend us a fiver please..

No chance.

Pension credit is over a week late...

 

[pargyle]

No chance.

Pension credit is over a week late...

The super frame looks good ... It's only a small leap to foundationless brood frames. ...

 

[kazmcc]

I'd like to try foundationless brood one day. Can you still use foundation in the supers without any problems?

 

[rickyd20]

Looks delicious!
I have just tried this myself, although I used starter strips.
Does it take much longer for the bees to draw out the full frame?

 

[Anduril]

I had one like that on a 14 x 12 frame which a swarm has drawn out.

 

[lebouche]

I put up a bait hive with 32mm spaced frames and no foundation. Not sure how I'm going to sort that hive out. Comb is stuck to the wall one end and one frame has a comb and a half on it..

 

[pargyle]

Looks delicious!
I have just tried this myself, although I used starter strips.
Does it take much longer for the bees to draw out the full frame?

Doesn't seem to if my bees are anything to go by ...

 

[BeeJayBee]

I'd like to try foundationless brood one day. Can you still use foundation in the supers without any problems?

No reason why you can't use foundationless and foundation+ in any combination you want.

You do need to wire or use fishing line in brood frames though, otherwise new comb can slump during inspection.

 

[kazmcc]

Thanks BeeJoyful

 

[Moggett]

No reason why you can't use foundationless and foundation+ in any combination you want.

You do need to wire or use fishing line in brood frames though, otherwise new comb can slump during inspection.

I've use two wooden skewers per frame vertically set (making three sections) and a starter strip. The bees seem to like it and follow the line of the skewer so the comb stays straight. It may not be as strong as horizontally wired frames but I've never had a problem. An additional benefit is that they will often make drone in one section only making it easy to remove for varroa control.

I still can't decide whether to go completely foundation-less next year. There are pros and cons for both systems, one week I decide I will, the next week I change my mind!

 

[kazmcc]

I've use two wooden skewers per frame vertically set (making three sections) and a starter strip.

How do you secure the skewers? Do you just wedge them in?

 

[Moggett]

How do you secure the skewers? Do you just wedge them in?

I drill two small holes where the foundation sits so it is a tight fit and jam them in.

You can use lolly ice sticks instead of wax but when I do this I normally use a dab of wood glue.

I find a strong colony will fill the frames quite easily, but they build more drone. This reduces the forager % and helps varroa multiply unless you remove some of it regularly.

I'm planning on shook swarming my colonies next April or thereabouts and vertical swarming them later in the year when necessary. If you do this every year the cost of foundation builds up quite considerably, which balances out any loss of honey from going foundation-less.

 

[jimmybee]

I put up a bait hive with 32mm spaced frames and no foundation. Not sure how I'm going to sort that hive out. Comb is stuck to the wall one end and one frame has a comb and a half on it..

Should of kept on top of it, and kept cutting it in to shape, and put an odd frame of foundation in between the foundation less ones. Done this a few times good luck!

 

[lebouche]

It was in a bait hive. Can't disturb them for two weeks. What I should have done is used starter strips. I read in Michael Bush's book that you don't need to but I think in the case of bait hive u do.

 

[yeogi75]

I drill two small holes where the foundation sits so it is a tight fit and jam them in.

You can use lolly ice sticks instead of wax but when I do this I normally use a dab of wood glue.

I find a strong colony will fill the frames quite easily, but they build more drone. This reduces the forager % and helps varroa multiply unless you remove some of it regularly.

I'm planning on shook swarming my colonies next April or thereabouts and vertical swarming them later in the year when necessary. If you do this every year the cost of foundation builds up quite considerably, which balances out any loss of honey from going foundation-less.

I use three skewers cheap as only a pound for about a hundred sticks.
I have a good hive that has a good laying pattern so tried this

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