Is concern over residues in foundation warranted?

[chris]

I can't see vertical wires working well with BS frames as the bottom bars are so flimsy.

Which just goes to show how there's always something I don't know when dishing out advice

[chris]

umm better to put in a wooden rod or strut - makes me shiver thinking of a metal rod conducting all the warmth away in winter!

Hi Calum. I don't really understand this. If the rod is embedded in the comb, where will the warmth go to? Perhaps I'm just being dim, but the idea came to me from these frames ,used by a beefarmer in the Vosges .cadre Delon.jpg

The topbar is wood, but the side and bottom bars are metal rods

[Calum]

Hi,
maybe I missunderstood I thought you were wanting to strengthen the frame with a rod through the middle. Even on the sides I would not use metal. Metal conducts warmth and dissapates it, I thought a rod through the winter nest would just conduct the warmth energy out to the ends (or cold into the brood) - increasing stores consumption. Its some law of thermal dynamics or other. Metal edges to frames - I'd think bees traversing them in winter to get food from other frames would cool down much quicker than on wood. Was just a thought. I know I don't like our tiled kitchen floor in the morning without slippers.

[Neils]

Been on them for a year now and I've not had any real problems, but I don't hold the frames flat but I'm still waiting for me to get lazy with them

[Neils]

All useful stuff. At the moment I'm thinking of doing the following:

1) Put the frames together in the usual way minus the "Wedge" on the top bar.

2) Drill holes approx 1/3 and 2/3 down on the sidebars

3) Run 30lb fishing line through these (horizontal support)

4) I'm currently thinking that some small screws that won't go right through the sidebars are possibly the easiest way to tension and fix the line. i.e. wrap the line once around the screw and screw it into the sidebar, tension and repeat on the other side.

5) I've got my cappings wax which I'm intending to use to make starter strips. In the supers last year I had some wireless foundation left over and I fixed 1/2 of the length of the foundation and maybe 4-5 cells deep to the middle of the frame, simply push fixing it onto the top bar.

So about 2 inches wide by half an inch deep.

I want to bailey change a double brood national onto 14x12s in the spring so I'm thinking that alternating foundation with frames with strips will hopefully minimise the chance that I'll get comb in all sorts of wierd and wonderful shapes and I can then start to shuffle things around accordingly. I might start off sticking all the foundation in the middle and then moving drawn frames to accomodate starter strips.

I know that's kind of a halfway house to start, but I'm lacking in 14x12 combs at the moment but figure once I've got one brood box going I use that as a "factory" to get some comb to use in any subsequent brood boxes.

[Jon]

I have much the same plan.
Would a drawing pin not be simpler for holding the line tight?
You could use scraps of brace comb for the starter strips. I do this with my Apideas.
Use a blow torch to melt a spoonful of wax and stick a bit of brace comb to the underside of the top bar with the wax.

[Neils]

A drawing pin might well be sufficient, some testing needed methinks.

If I'd kept brace comb separate it might well do, I've got best part of a pound of cappings wax though which should be more than enough for the brood boxes and supers this year. I might try using a spare OA syringe to do a nice line of wax along the top bars rather than use strips.

[Neils]

Emse,

They're no problem at all if you use a 3 mil drill bit first, then they just push in. I was surprised at how straightforward the whole affair was to be honest.

I never did figure out how to use that tool but it wasn't needed. As you don't have to fanny around with foundation and the top wedge it takes about the same amount of time to make up as a frame with foundation.

[EmsE]

Thanks Nellie- Just a visit to the DIY & fishing shop I think I'll try a few frames this year to see how it goes.
Do you need to get the eyelets from Thornes or do they sell them in places like B&Q?

[Neils]

I got mine from Maisemore (and the frame wire, there is a fishing shop around here but it's a fair old trek away so I used standard frame wire in the end), I dare say they're fairly standard bits of kit and I could have saved a pound if I'd bought them from elsewhere but it looks like I've got several years worth of frames to do with what I have.