Good luck Marilyn on getting ready. Hope your queen was out Victoria. My girls are going through lots of sugar syrup yet. We are starting to get a few things blooming.
My mentor started me out with wax coated plastic foundation. He says it is a better way to start out a new hive because it doesn't require so much energy on the bee's part to get their hive productive. I just don't feel comfortable with the idea of having man made plastic products in contact with my bees or their pollen and honey. So, when I start a few more of my own hives next year I will probably go with 100% beeswax foundation even though it takes more work to secure this in the frames. I am hoping to be able to use the smaller size cell foundation for the brood boxes in my own hives to help discourage varroa mites. Some day when I have more experience with the bees and have a few hives going strong I would like to experiment with foundationless frames.
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I started mine out totally foundationless. Med. hive boxes. I just could not believe how quickly the girls have filled the frames in. They have sugar syrup, and pollen patty too.
We have one box foundationless and two with wax/wood frame. It's a bit harder working around the foundationless, but fascinating to see just how fast they fill the frame
I went with was foundation. Only because everything I read said what Marilyn mentioned, it requires less work on the bees. I honestly don't know if it is any better.
Girls in their new home but I'm still shaking
Posted - Apr 25 2010 : 04:17:48 AM
