Wax

[Mellifera Crofter]

No, I think the edge of the wax was the easiest place to start and, from there, they've moved up into the wax strip as well as building down. I think I'll be back there tomorrow and see how they've progressed (I think I know in which hive I've photographed that frame - I should have marked it).

I think they're ignoring the frames that are completely filled because they don't have that easy starting point.
Kitta

[chris]

If possible, take & post a photo- I'm interested to see how they progress.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Sure - I'll look for that frame, or another like it, and mark it.
K

[Mellifera Crofter]

Here's the same frame, Chris, eight days later (I've included the original photo again).

IMG_4676.jpg IMG_4710.jpg

I also show two photos of a shallow frame that was completely filled with flat home-made foundation. Perhaps you can't see clearly, but they're started to emboss the flat surface on the reverse side (the second photo):

IMG_4723.jpg IMG_4722.jpg

Kitta

[Bumble]

I'm impressed (see what I did there?) that you've made your own foundation. How did you make it?

[Mellifera Crofter]

Making flat sheets of foundation (not embossed) is very easy, Bumble.

Make a mould for the wax sheets - just a piece of ply slightly bigger than what is needed surrounded with a rim and a gap for pouring. Thorne's sell them - but just make one yourself. This is mine:

IMG_4725.jpg

Give the tray a good soaking and then pour liquid wax into it. Start from the top and try to get the tray covered as quickly and thinly as possible, and pour out the excess. The wax sets very quickly. When the edges of the wax start to pull away from the tray's rim you can carefully peel the sheet out of the tray. That's that. Trim the sheets and fix them to your frames.

Kitta

[Bumble]

Thanks. I'll give it a try some time when I'm less busy than at the moment - the good weather has prompted the garden to try to move indoors!

During a coffee break I was looking online for ways of making foundation, some of the ideas looks awfully complicated and very expensive. Then I found this video which makes it seem remarkably easy. All you need is a tall jug of melted wax and some pieces of of wood the right width for starter strips. I'm sure the hive doesn't have to be a Warre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ovKSO-v4g

[chris]

That is certainly some good looking bee work, Kitta.Lots of different sized cells (which answers your question about needing embossed sheets) and different orientation of the hexagons. Later,do you intend going one step further and limiting the foundation to a very narrow strip?

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thank you for the link, Bumble. That seems an even easier way of making foundation - particularly, as I've already noticed, I think the bees prefer strips. They must have been very keen for space to have start working that super frame.

So, yes, Chris, I'll stay with strips rather than full-frame foundation and will probably make them narrower. I think the bees will be just as happy with that. I don't feel strongly that one should only use strips or only full-frame embossed foundation, but I think it is good if there are at least a few frames with strip foundation for the bees to fill as they please.

Kitta

[Bumble]

I'm not sure if mine prefer strips or triangles, but I'm too tight fisted to let them have a whole sheet of commercial wax.

Wax exchange would be a good idea if I lived closer to a supplier, but by the time I've either spent £50 in petrol or paid postage I might as well have not bothered letting them have my carefully melted wax - so I haven't. I've ended up with quite a pile of various shaped lumps of cleanish wax that I can't think what to do with. Being a bit dim I'd sort of thought foundation should be imprinted, but obviously not! It looks like a decent project, and might even be slightly cleaner than dabbling with candles.