Foundation

[Newbeebeekeeper]

Hey so in a rush the other day i managed to buy small cell unwired sheets instead of the standard worker base foundation i got last time. Is this a big deal and will it make a difference?

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Send it back or make candles

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

What is the difference

 

[pargyle]

Small cells were supposed to assist with varroa levels .. seems to be another fallacy.

Cut them into 1" strips and use them as starter strips to go foundationless. Or, use them as they are and see what happens ...

 

[fatshark]

It's small cell size and has no wires.

Small cell is/was a way to control Varroa.

It isn't. If you use it you'll end up with smaller bees (though perhaps more of them). Some evidence suggests you'll also end up with more Varroa.

But they won't be any smaller.

No wires means less support.

 

[Newbeebeekeeper]

If i was using them for supers would it really matter?

 

[drex]

Cells are smaller and there is no wire support! Is it deep foundation or shallow?
Some believe small cells works against varroa, but there is a lot of evidence against this idea. Being unwired there is no support for the comb, hence if you were to spin it, it would have to be done gently.
Smaller cells= smaller bees.
If shallow foundation it would make little difference apart from the extracting.
I think if people introduce small cells as an anti varroa measure they do it gradually to regress the bees to smaller size slowly. Or summat like that.
Sorry slow typist

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've extracted supers with unwired foundation (both tangentially and radially) with no problems.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I've extracted supers with unwired foundation (both tangentially and radially) with no problems.

I agree, don't use any wired national shallows here at all, no problems with extracting either ordinary floral honey or heather honey from them, even with new combs.

 

[coffindodger]

It is easy to embed wire into the sheets. Probably more common in the USA than here, but I got my wire and tensioner cheaply on fleabay. Once the frame is wired, you just use a 12V supply to heat the wires and the wax drops in. I adopted this method having mistakenly bought unwired sheets some years ago.
Whether it is worth your doing this I don't know and the question of smaller cell size is one for those more expert than myself.

 

[Poly Hive]

The small cell theory has been thoroughly disproved.

Another load of rubbish trumpeted on tinternet as the cure all.

PH

 

[Millet]

whoops

 

[Beefriendly]

It is easy to embed wire into the sheets..

Probably only really needed for brood frames which have larger area to support. I've used thin unwired foundation for supers with little problem for several years now.

 

[madasafish]

Probably only really needed for brood frames which have larger area to support. I've used thin unwired foundation for supers with little problem for several years now.

I use wired foundation in wired jumbo frames for additional strength and don't worry about embedding the frame wires- the bees eventually do it.