Is foundation less beekeeping the way for would

[madasafish]

Can someone explain to me how residues build up in wax. Surely if they are present in nectar, they will be present in honey. Once wax is made, the only build up surely is of old body parts/etc from brood...?

I'm just a simple beekeeper so no doubt someone can also quote me a scientific study?

Thanks..

 

[Andre cardona]

Might want to read thourgh this thread ..

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=27494&highlight=foundationless

Lots on foundationlo beekeeping but not a lot on contamination or disease within wax that were buying in.

 

[Tom Bick]

Can someone explain to me how residues build up in wax. Surely if they are present in nectar, they will be present in honey. Once wax is made, the only build up surely is of old body parts/etc from brood...?

I'm just a simple beekeeper so no doubt someone can also quote me a scientific study?

Thanks..

As the wax is recycled into foundation not all of the chemicals are removed from the wax and the more the wax is recycled they presumably build up.

I have for some time now understood that foundation in the US had been tested and an alarming list of chemicals found but despite searching for the information on the Internet I have not been able to find it. I am either imagining it or its out there somewhere

 

[user 6228]

Can someone explain to me how residues build up in wax. Surely if they are present in nectar, they will be present in honey. Once wax is made, the only build up surely is of old body parts/etc from brood...?

I'm just a simple beekeeper so no doubt someone can also quote me a scientific study?

Thanks..

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0014720
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0077550
http://www.intechopen.com/download/get/type/pdfs/id/21175

 

[Tom Bick]

Lots on foundationlo beekeeping but not a lot on contamination or disease within wax that were buying in.

Yes more to do with foundationless beekeeping but perhaps one way to ensure your bees have a reasonable chemical free start. But not to everyone's taste so if you want perhaps the best foundation for your bees you should go to KBS as they by all accounts only use cappings and in the past when I bought from them you just knew you were handling a quality product and it smelt like wax.

 

[madasafish]

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0014720
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0077550
http://www.intechopen.com/download/get/type/pdfs/id/21175

Thanks Derek

BUT these articles only explain how impurities arrive in the hive.

I could not see anything which suggests that comb once formed will become progressively more contaminated..

 

[user 6228]

Thanks Derek

BUT these articles only explain how impurities arrive in the hive.

I could not see anything which suggests that comb once formed will become progressively more contaminated..

http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/93/03/13/PDF/hal-00930313.pdf
this references this
google acaricide residues in beeswax and honey s. bogdanov

 

[Andre cardona]

Yes more to do with foundationless beekeeping but perhaps one way to ensure your bees have a reasonable chemical free start. But not to everyone's taste so if you want perhaps the best foundation for your bees you should go to KBS as they by all accounts only use cappings and in the past when I bought from them you just knew you were handling a quality product and it smelt like wax.

Thanks Tom
I'm going to try some from KBS.
I agree with you and it shode be everyone's thorts befor buying foundation from supiler that import wax. I wonder if this subject has some thing to do with bee decin and will there be more research in the years to come thanks again.

 

[pargyle]

Lots on foundationlo beekeeping but not a lot on contamination or disease within wax that were buying in.

Well ... Yes and No ... your original post:

"Is foundation less beekeeping the way for would ?"

For some of us the answer is Yes, it is ... it works for me and I shared your concerns about potential impurities in commercial foundation. I'd heard rumours that some foundation contained paraffin wax, that the 'recyled' wax brought to various shows and beekeeping events in exchange for 'new' foundation was just filtered and then melted to be re-formed into foundation sheets and re-sold. Whether my concern was real or imaginary I figured, if I didn't use foundation, then there was zero risk from anything being introduced via commercial foundation.

I don't (or at least haven't so far) used chemicals in my hive so the only potential contamination in my hive is what the bees have brought in. I'm hopeful that my bees are sufficiently sensible and fastidious enough not to bring home things that will harm them ... but bees will be bees so - who knows ?

So ... it's a personal issue that you need to consider - there are pros and cons ...

 

[Andre cardona]

I like Tom post on Foundationless beekeeping this is the way forward for me starter strip and wire.

 

[pargyle]

I like Tom post on Foundationless beekeeping this is the way forward for me starter strip and wire.

Good for you ... I hope it proves to be as rewarding and interesting as I have found it .. Good luck with it.

 

[DulwichGnome]

This will be the third year using foundationless frames, my second with them exclusively, and I've found they work well. I use large lolly sticks as a starter strip and 35lb fishing line crossing in the center, the bees seem to cluster along the line and join up with those from the top. When I first converted frames I found wax moth grubs liked the grove on the inside so now I build them with the grove on the outside. The single bottom bar is there just to stop the sides pulling in.

 

[Tom Bick]

do you make your own frames dg

 

[DulwichGnome]

do you make your own frames dg

No, I use cheap ones from the winter sale and cut down to suit a Rose size hive. I did slot the bottom of the side bars but now I just cut it shorter and staple the bottom bar on.

I have found that it pays to insure the hive is dead level as the bees will lean with gravity and attach one frame to another.

Mike.