plastic frame waxing

[tidymeup]

They leave some sections out to start with but do fill it in given a little time. If i have had a frame like that if have generally moved it to the middle of the hive between two nicely drawn frames and they fix it.

I do like the fact that they don't chew holes in the plastic frames like the bees have done with all of the other foundation that i give them.

 

[RoofTops]

Rooftops or anyone else with plastic foundation

Do you have an experience or guideline info from the manufactures if the frames are given a very light coating or given a very heavy coating of wax. ?

Sorry, been a bit slow off the mark responding to this thread.

It really is not necessay to flood the frame with wax although that can be done, e.g. by dipping. That works of course but needs a lot of wax.

My technique now is to use a fleece roller, not a sponge, and keep rollling after the stage when the wax starts to get tacky as it cools. The wax will change colour to yellow at this stage and the roller will apply a thin coating of wax to the tips of the hexagons. That is all that needs to be done. It is like plastic queen cell cups - they are not coated in wax, the bees start from the rim of the cup but for frames they need a hint, hence the wax roller, but they only need a tiny bit.

It shouldn't take more than a minute to do each frame.

 

[RoofTops]

I know the advice given is roller the frames as per the video or dip them but I was wondering how the bees deal with a frame with not enough or too much wax on them.

If there is no wax on the frame they ignore it - at least mine did when in a hurry I forgot to coat one side of two frames. I have heard of spraying sugar syrup on unwaxed frames but I am not convinced - but happy to confess I have not tried it. It might work with some bees.

If there is too much wax they build comb on the base of thick wax and make no use of it.

If you look at the picture on page two you can see the bottom of the cells is black - pure plastic, no wax there at all - just like a plastic queen cell.

(Thinks: is that going to be quoted back at me "pure plastic" in the context of being good. I fear so.)

Just noticed on the picture on page two there is a lot of fanning going on around the edge of the frame and at least one on the comb itself. I suspect the bees were getting bored with my slow progress taking the picture.

 

[RoofTops]

PS: Just checked again with spectacles: make that at least 4 fanning on the face of the comb. Probably more.

 

[fincaazul]

Sorry, been a bit slow off the mark responding to this thread.

It really is not necessay to flood the frame with wax although that can be done, e.g. by dipping. That works of course but needs a lot of wax.

My technique now is to use a fleece roller, not a sponge, and keep rollling after the stage when the wax starts to get tacky as it cools. The wax will change colour to yellow at this stage and the roller will apply a thin coating of wax to the tips of the hexagons. That is all that needs to be done. It is like plastic queen cell cups - they are not coated in wax, the bees start from the rim of the cup but for frames they need a hint, hence the wax roller, but they only need a tiny bit.

It shouldn't take more than a minute to do each frame.

tried just coating tips of hexagons with wax, resut is a box full of wild comb. Added another box with heavily waxed plastic foundation which bees are starting to draw out. Hope Queen will move into this, put excluder on and then sort out mess beneath.

 

[fincaazul]

Sorry, been a bit slow off the mark responding to this thread.

It really is not necessay to flood the frame with wax although that can be done, e.g. by dipping. That works of course but needs a lot of wax.

My technique now is to use a fleece roller, not a sponge, and keep rollling after the stage when the wax starts to get tacky as it cools. The wax will change colour to yellow at this stage and the roller will apply a thin coating of wax to the tips of the hexagons. That is all that needs to be done. It is like plastic queen cell cups - they are not coated in wax, the bees start from the rim of the cup but for frames they need a hint, hence the wax roller, but they only need a tiny bit.

It shouldn't take more than a minute to do each frame.

Took advice from forum only coated tips of cells with wax, now have two langstroth shallow boxes full of wid comb,HELP

 

[Mike a]

Are the frames touching each other or spaced out slightly.?

 

[fincaazul]

Are the frames touching each other or spaced out slightly.?

Frames touching each other, one box almost full of honey, cant find Q as she hides among wild comb. Lots of sealed brood. I am hoping she will move into box where they are drawing out good comb, then put excluder under it , leave for a couple of weeks for brood to emerge,then figure out a way to feed stores in wild comb back to bees, maybe to use as winter food. Then remove wild comb for re-use. Not expecting a surplus this year. Anyone got a 'plan B' ?