Wired Foundation Question.

[wessexmario]

I noticed when I had my Long deep Hive in action that I got straighter comb with the frames aligned N/S but my four polys now have frames E/W and it hasn't seemed to make any difference .. I wonder if it's more evident in Long Hives ...??

It was implied to me as a problem specific to top bar hives.


back to the OP...

given deep frames and shallow foundation, I'd just put a uncut sheet of foundation in the deep frame, and leave the bees to fill in the rest.
Over time the wax in brood frames will gradually get replaced by the pupae's cocoons which is structurally much more rigid.

What I wouldn't do is cut the shallow foundation into horizontal sections to fit, because then you'll have loose ends of wire. If the ends project the bees won't like it, they'll be likely to gradually extract the wire, so making it useless, and the fact that the ends will then not be anchored will mean it may pull out so be much less effective at holding the frame if it's spun.

Running some fishing line (or wire) to support the lower part of the frame will be prudent, you'd want to tie it in by threading the new wire through the lower loops of the sheet foundation, whether you put the new wire in horizontally or continue the zig-zag really doesn't matter.

The bees will build across the line in the bare lower part of the frame, usually incorporating fishing line better than wire.
Bees seem to object to fishing line much less than to metal wire, probably for any of a number of reasons:
I've not investigated any of these, but all seem viable.
- being much more conductive to heat than wax, the metal wire will feel like a foreign body in the cells, fishing line being a plastic will not show a marked temperature difference from it's surroundings so will be much less intrusive.
- metals will have a conductive/ionising effect (compare by tasting metals and fishing line yourself!)
- the metal wire could also have an electromagnetic effect in the earth's magnetic field, the bees may be aware of this. This could be a factor with hives under power lines (anyone notice whether more cells are unused in this situation when frame wire runs across them?)
- there may even be a small electrical current flow if a chain of bees connect opposite ends of a length of wire! There are different metals in the circuit to cause a potential difference, the pins and the wire, the bees supplying the electrolyte to complete the circuit.