Why Aren't The Bees Building Comb / Plastic Foundation Issues FIXED

[@brianashby1105]

Didn’t understand why my bees were building comb pretty much everywhere, but on the plastic frames. I assumed they were good to go, but after watching your video I realized they definitely were not. Coated a bunch of frames and switched out/replaced any that I could. Thanks to your video, the bees are building perfectly on the newly added frames. Valuable tip. Thanks a lot.

[@JCsBees]

Glad it was helpful. In the future you can buy plastic foundation with 1,2 or even 3 coats of wax. The more the better. :) I suggest Premier foundation.

[@mikeswann2647]

I bought a small roller at Depot roll it on with that . heat the wax in an old turkey roaster from a garage sale works great it melts wax and you just roll it on frame after frame I even coat my traps with wax using tis method..

[@JCsBees]

Great tip!

[@bradgoliphant]

Great points to make. I don't believe in putting plastic in beehive, yet understand beekeepers that do that have hundreds of hive and make living at it. My issue with plastic foundation is that most all of them have cell sizes upwards to 6mm's in size, when natural honey comb, built by the bees themselves, range from 4.6mm, to 5.2. But I love that you made this video to show this important point. Thank you.

[@downunderfulla6001]

Kamon Reynolds, Tennessee, uses a small foam roller. Seems to work great. I bought a few to try myself one day. A great topic of conversation 🍻🍻

[@matthewklump7586]

This is also my go to method paired with a old slow cooker.

[@sethcook9549]

Great tip. I forgot to wax my plastic foundations this season and it shows. 10 empty frames. They haven't touched them at all. I swapped out a deep unwaxed box with a medium box that has wax left on them from last seasons harvest and just started feeding them as of today. Gonna check in a week and see how things are going. :)

[@JCsBees]

Good luck!!

[@danant5197]

Thank you so much. I had this problem as a new beekeeper and you are the only one that made this video on waxing.

[@pattimincher4201]

I use a 4 inch foam roll and it works great. I coat all of my frames

[@robertbridges4065]

Going into my 3rd year. I'm using mostly plastic frames. The girls have made some really weird comb on these frames. Now I know why. This is a very straight forward and to the point video. I know what I am going to be doing tomorrow. Today I'm getting my supplies ready. I like the wax 'crayon' trick. Thanks.

[@JCsBees]

Glad the video was helpful. Best of luck getting things ready for the season.

[@carldaniels4827]

I'm glad that you were using dark comb wax. makes a lot of sense to use with the scent of brood. excellent point that most bee keepers miss.

[@mrsweettater]

I've had great success with wax coated, plastic frames! They don't like uncoated plastic or reused plastic. I use mine five years and switch them out with new wax coated frames. I've heard of people cleaning them up and recoating them but that's never worked for me. I just get new ones, which keeps me rotating new wax into my hives. Which is good because I am so tight fisted that I wouldn't toss the old wax out unless I had to.

[@Lsmith-ly2cm]

Use a small paint roller they work well evenly coating the wax on the foundation.

[@SparkieDog1]

Try 4" length foam rollers!! Those are awesome for waxing the foundations!!

[@alexayounginsong2641]

JC! you are a genius! Can you do the video on removing old comb on plastic foundation? Dip into the hot water? Steam it? then environmental hormone will come out from the plastic? How do you eliminate comb on plastic frame?

[@martenapperloo1055]

Thanks for the video, it's a old video that I just came across but it sure answers my question of why my bees wouldn't draw out this one frame that I had in my hive except to draw out some funky comb on it, I had it in their for a month and they wouldn't draw it out

[@JCsBees]

Not having enough wax is a huge problem but also make sure you push the frames tight together.

[@kerirandle8474]

Wish you lived closer. I think we would be friends. Thanks for the video.

[@JCsBees]

Where about do you live?

[@AngelEats559]

Love your videos man , I do the same thing for my operation and we need lots of these done. A paint roller with a hot plate and a metal paint pan works super easy for us. Give it try and keep up the vids man 🤙

[@luci75d76]

I use a small roller paint tool. I wax the frames very fast on this way.

[@mrwonk]

I like that wax crayon method. That looks to be the way to go (assuming it gets the bees to draw evenly).

[@JCsBees]

It works very well. It's works best if you slightly warm the wax crayon.

[@papasstuff6381]

As always thanks for the tips . I like the wax crayon ! I just started to pull a little honey to give the queen room to lay in , also a little checker bordering . My swarms that I cought this spring have FILLED 2 deeps / 8 frame boxes in each of 5 hives . Awesome year so far !!!

[@papasstuff6381]

Sorry I forgot , yes some of the plastic frames are funky / wierdly drawn out .

[@JCsBees]

Glad to hear your providing the queen some laying room, not too many people know to do that. Then they wonder why they have small cluster going into winter. Sounds like your bees are doing well! Re-coating those plastic frames will make a huge difference in acceptance.

[@tterry53]

I laid the crayon out in the sun for a few minutes so that it got warm and soft before I tried to rub it on the plastic foundation. I think that it helped make it easier to put on.

[@JCsBees]

Good idea!!

[@GeorgeCMcRae]

Crayon method looks great.

[@janebiddick6161]

Wonderful way to insure a better hive for bees! Thanks for sharing!

[@JCsBees]

Glad to bee of help.

[@randomdan2010]

Janezone in

[@jasona522]

Hello, men Lake mix a triple wax dept. Foundation which works the best out of all that I have tried. Far as putting wax back on frames try a roller.

[@mikeries8549]

I'm about two years late but to do this fast get a 30 gallon barrel with top cut off. Boil water on turkey fryer under the barrel. Add ten pounds of wax, melt, then start dunking sheets of foundation. Have to go fast or they warp.

[@stansmith4054]

The 16 dislikes for this video were from Yellow Jacket keepers.

[@1tsjaboisam973]

Stan Smith you mean this demons exist

[@luci75d76]

I wax coat my plastic frames always. I never have any problems u til now in the past 9 years. I use only 1/1 black plastic frames for brood chamber and 1/2 yellow for suppers ! I travel with bees so sometime In some bumpy roads or very hot days of summer I lost before hives during transportation and because over heating melting inside and fall apart. Worth plastic frames I also have less swarms now. No tendency to swarm

[@osiris031]

I use Acorn frames and haven't had much of an issue at all. The only thing I don't like are the little channels in the sides that give perfect little hiding spots for SHB down here in Florida.

[@JCsBees]

I have heard great things about Acorn but have yet to try it myself. As for SHB, they have never been a problem here in Ohio for me. I have only seen them once and that was only 2 beetles.

[@BLachance75]

I always scrape off any wonky comb that they start building on plastic frames. I've found once they get it going its bee fine but if they start wonky comb they will keep going with it. I'm switching over to either using wax foundation or a wax starter strip.

[@JCsBees]

Yes, I do the same. I guess I should have mentioned that in the video. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@Guitar2Man1963]

a 3" or 4" Paint roller works well too!!

[@SquirrelsForAll]

Jason, your videos are very helpful, thank you for your hard work and continued productions.

[@JCsBees]

Thanks! It feels to to bee helpful.

[@TheTnoutlaw]

rite cell is now offered with extra wax. when adding extra wax myself, I take a deep pot and fill it to about 10 inches of melted wax. dip in one side of the foundation, let it cool for a second and dip the other side. very fast this method.

[@JCsBees]

Great! Thanks for sharing the info..

[@StanGore-mk8ow]

AMEN!!!! well said Jason!!

[@kencollins3565]

Good tips... I use a Turkey baster brush. Works fine.

[@smeglips]

Find an opportunistic crop, like Canola, and introduce new frames while they a breading on a honey flow. When u time it right, they will draw plastic without coating in wax. Another method is rotate old frames out of the brood and introduce new plastics and they will draw them as well, much slower process but if u stay in front of it you can draw a lot of frames in a season. The real art of beekeeping is Botany, entomology doesn’t produce the honey or the money.

[@karenwaitley9515]

Cripes, needed this information ,a couple weeks ago. Could explain why my bees haven't been working the new frames.

[@JCsBees]

Sorry I was slow to share the video but I hope it was helpful going forward. I hope you will subscribe so you can stay up to date with my new releases.

[@karenwaitley9515]

@@JCsBees I am subscribed, I've watched alot of your older videos too. If they dont start working the new frames I'll pull them and add wax ,see if that helps. Thanks for all your awsome videos.

[@OurLibertyMatters]

New bee keeper and had the same problem, thanks!

[@JCsBees]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnnybstuddd4482]

Great video Jason.

[@JCsBees]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Tonnsfabrication]

Iv'e switched to exclusively using Acorn frames this year after seeing a friend of mine commercial keeper with 800 hives do it. I've had very good luck with them as well .FYI Brushy Mountain is a supplier of Acorn frames, it doesn't say that on their site but their plastic frames are Acorn.

[@JCsBees]

I have heard they were a good product on Facebook but have yet to try them. I guess next year I will be the year. Thanks for sharing the information. Amazon is also carrying them as I listed some in the video description.

[@Tonnsfabrication]

They are cheaper in bulk like most things in the bee world. A case of supers is 74 frames and deeps are 51 frames If i remember correctly? They are roughly $2.50 each , I think deeps where 5 cents more so about the same.

[@JCsBees]

Good to know, thanks!

[@primeonly27]

You can also buy Acorn foundation on Amazon.

[@FloryJohann]

When I started with beekeeping last year, I had questions and Brushy Mountain would not answer my questions that I send them per e-mail. not only once ,but twice a week later I was sending a e-mail to get answer and service. Bad thing is that I live only about 25 minutes from them. They lost all my business last year and this year. I refuse to do business with them after that. I found another company that is 1 hour away and they responded 20 minutes after I was sending them the questions per e-mail. Guess who got and is getting my business.

[@georgegarcia5052]

I loved the wax crayon! How clever! I’ve heard it said that brood frame should be replaced every couple of years. If the plastic brood frames don’t have decease, how do you take off the old brood wax? How do you prepare used frames in order to coat them with wax? Thanks again! Wow, the crayon ... sometimes the easiest solutions are the best!

[@dougbardsley1960]

Awesome video. I’m a newbee and my bees started drawing comb out and on one foundation it’s sporadic. Hope I can remedy this before they mess all the frames up.

[@jamesbraun1264]

I use a 4" paint edging roller. It fits into my pans easily and one dip does one side of a frame. Good videos. Thanks for making them.

[@JCsBees]

I have yet to try a roller but it sounds worth the effort for sure. Thanks!

[@Lynne77084]

I use a small paint roller also. It works FANTASTIC! I melt my wax in a mini crock pot and the roller fits in perfectly.

[@williamtaylor4657]

Thanks for the info. New keeper in Ohio and the bees aren’t touching the super with plastic foundation. I’ll try this out.

[@1wildwackywoman]

Question: have you found it helpful to clip off corners of plastic sheets for a bee ‘pass through’ ?

[@Digger927]

Another good vid, thanks Jason! I've tried both brushes, the foam brushes and the rollers and I prefer the acrylic brushes as well. Discovering that one can re-coat the frames and get the bees to take to them made a huge difference for me this year. I still see an occasional reject but no more than I've seen with regular wax foundation. Sometimes bees just want to flip you the bird, lol. If you catch a hive drawing weird comb frames, get it sorted out as quick as possible because it's a huge freaking mess and it can easily depress a colony's ability to build production numbers the way they need to. Fixing it can be a huge pain in the ass, especially when they have squirrely cross comb and have it full of brood already. Jason, do you have a method worked out to fix this sort of a problem???? I have some like that this year that I never sorted out and they lagged behind badly all season. I assume it makes the queens job much harder and inefficient. I think I should try adding a top brood chamber until the queen gets in there and then cut her off from the bottom with an excluder until the brood hatches and then remove the bad frames and cross comb plastic frames. This is what happened before I learned to re-coat the plastic frames.

[@JCsBees]

Without recoating most people will give up on the plastic foundation thinking it's junk. Truth be known once it's drawn, it's the strongest foundation on the market. No extractor blowouts!I think your idea of moving the queen above the excluder is what I would do. It's by far the least amount of work on your part. I had someone give me a hive onetime just like you described. It was a cross comb mess. I did the excluder trick then let bees rob the honey before I cut out the cross comb to melt down.

[@billkohlman4606]

A 4” foam roller brush works great. Try that.

[@1wildwackywoman]

I have several empty wooden super frames and a handful of deeps that need foundation. In the past these frames had wax and wire foundation. Overtime the wires rust and the wax breaks. I’m thinking of switching over to plastic foundation. What’s your experience with one versus the other? It would be awesome if you could do a video on replacing plastic foundation in existing wooden frames. Thanks again for your great videos!

[@Dave-jc6ky]

I need to do this but am new to beekeeping this year and have no idea how much beeswax is needed to add additional wax to a thin factory coating of wax on medium frame plastic foundations. Either a per frame or per per 10 frame estimate of weight of wax required to add additional wax would be helpful. I see beeswax is often sold by 1 lb. blocks and I need an estimate of how much I may need to purchase for my medium honey supers in particular. Further I have only a small amount of burr comb I could melt down.

[@PopsShack]

You should check out Australian Honeybee here on KZbin to see how they apply the wax coating to their plastic foundation.

[@JCsBees]

Let me guess....They boil the wax in some water and dip the foundation in it? Am I correct?

[@PopsShack]

Yep, that's it.

[@Brandon-jw5cv]

IMHO, hard foam rollers are the best way to apply wax, especially to a lot of frames at once. I can knock out both sides in about 15-20 seconds.

[@JCsBees]

Great tip! I will have to try one. Can you share a link to one of these rollers so I can see which one you talking about?

[@jimallen1176]

Check out Bob Binnie, on KZbin. He uses a thin 4" paint roller & crockpot. I'm going to try it. I've been using a thick 4" paint roller. It's fast & works great. I've learned a lot from your videos Jason. Keep up the good work.

[@beekeepyt5622]

Not me, I heard the rumours. I've got a plastic hive body with wooden frames set up. It's working out quite well.

[@lintonmacnamara1469]

That's good stuff Jason. Been going to try the plastic foundation but was unsure about waxing them.thanks

[@MissMerc007]

That wax crayon was such a good idea!

[@markwelsch940]

Which do you think it better - painting melted wax or rubbing the foundation with your beeswax crayon? Some companies advertise standard, heavy and extra heavy wax coatings from their factories. Does it help the bees to put on a LOT of wax on the plastic foundation, or is just the standard amount okay?

[@JCsBees]

The heavier the coat of wax the better the bees with draw out comb. That's why some companies offer heavy wax coats. That said, bees do better at building comb in spring and early summer. Late summer and Fall is a hard time to get them to make comb. The crayon works in a pinch, I would prefer to paint on hot wax if I had my choice.

[@markwelsch940]

@@JCsBees Thanks Jason! I really like your videos!

[@mpedals]

just love the wax crayon idea,,,,,,,

[@bossymodo]

Personally I don't use foundation at all but I think a better approach if you want to use plastic foundation is to melt wax on top of water and then dip the plastic foundation through the layer of wax into the water and pull it back out and you will have a nice even coating on the plastic.

[@danielaviles1335]

bossymodo ummm... I think that’s exactly what he said

[@honeybguys5872]

I have always had good luck with Mann Lake rite cell plastic foundation. I have yet to have them draw any wonky comb or refuse to use it.

[@JCsBees]

Good to know. Thanks for sharing the information.

[@dclamby]

Just curious. Regarding the wax crayon or the paintbrush, which one is your go to method? I have a couple hundred frames to clean and rewax, and am wondering which is the best.

[@JCsBees]

My newest go to is a foam roller with hot wax. Works very well and fast!

[@clearymc]

Any advice for cleaning off old dirty frames?

[@michellecahill4838]

how early ahead of the season should you prepare your frames? i will be starting my first hive this spring and have the plastic foundations. have a package of bees arriving in april...when should i wax the foundations? is there a good time or does it not matter?

[@Gord1812]

Hey Jason. Did you ever find out if sumac in the smoker helped with mites?

[@NewEnglandgardening]

Do you mean two nuc boxes high or two nuc box colonies stacked on each other with a divider. I just installed a package of bees today and gave them some drawn out comb with some honey stores. I hope there is enough time for them to build up for the winter. I do have a couple of nuc boxes I can stack on top of each other.

[@JCsBees]

Here in Ohio they need to be 2 nucs high (one colony). That gives them the food storage to make most of the winter and then I can feed sugar patties until nectar starts flowing. Pushing the nucs close together will allow them to keep each other warm. So make sure you do this. I would check with a local beekeeper and see when your bees should be ready for winter. I hope you have time, good luck!

[@Impressiongamingcontent]

Thank you very much. I was just putting pieces of wax on the foundation hoping they would take but i love the acrylic brush idea. Ill try it!

[@JCsBees]

Hope the brush helps!

[@denniswood231]

I use permadent foundation and the bees like it fine...people have to understand that it takes lots of energy and resources to draw honeycomb. If you have weak colonies it is going to be a problem and holds them back and they won't produce much honey if you put too much foundation on at once. I run as strong colonies as possible and I only put foundation on after the first pull during our main honey flow and only two frames per super on each side of the middle comb in a 9 frame super...at that time the bees are peaking in population and almost draw foundation overnight and it helps to keep them from swarming but also producing honey at maximum. capacity. I never put foundation on any colony before that first pull and never after the honey flow is over since bees don't want to draw comb in a dearth and by that time we are prepping our bees for winter and they are down to two brood chambers. There is no need for all this waxing if you have strong bees and put the foundation on in the peak of the honey flow.

[@lanawuolukka4784]

Wonderful video!

[@JCsBees]

Thank you very much!

[@jethrobodine9617]

There's a third way. Take a frame feeder and melt wax and pour it in 3/4 full. Place the feeder on a warmer to keep the wax melted. You can fast dip/emerse the frames in the wax then let them drip dry, removing any excess from the bottom bat. I do 150 at a time this way. I had to heat up the plastic frame feeder and "buldge" out the ends about 1" total so the frames would fit. Hope this helps.

[@JCsBees]

@Jeffery Tipton What a awesome idea! No dip tank needed! I will have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing!

[@jethrobodine9617]

@@JCsBees np... Ya no dip tank... And reuseable... No brush needed... Reuseable.

[@beebob1279]

I used unwaxed foundation, waxed plastic foundation, and waxed foundation. If the hive isn't strong and there isn't a strong flow this will happen. I've had colonies do this to wax foundation. It's more a nuisance than anything else.

[@davidfrelinger5539]

What do you do to correct the problem? If it has already been drawn out?

[@heavenscenthomestead4242]

I like that crayon idea. Could you do a video on how to make it? Does the tp roll hold the wax in when you pour it? Thanks for the great tip.

[@JCsBees]

It would make a nice winter time video so maybe I will make one on making the crayon. Yes, the tp roll does hold the wax but you have to put pressure downward on roll until wax starts to dry. Once then leave it there until completely cool before moving. I made mine on the inside of a coffee container lid that way if any does seep out the lid catches it. Glad you like it, thanks!

[@Digger927]

You can pour a little hot wax on a small piece of cardboard and then place the TP roll on it so that it sticks down faster, seals the bottom and cools quicker, then fill the tube with the warm wax. More fool proof if you fill the bottom of the tube first and let it cool a bit and solidify then finish filling the rest of the tube. The slower fill will keep from re-melting your initial tube seal.

[@heavenscenthomestead4242]

Thank You so much. I appreciate the reply.

[@JCsBees]

+Brent Nice tip!

[@adrianoxenham362]

Great Video. Very well explained and demonstrated.

[@kevinriffey5159]

Just wanna know what you think about leaving a block of wax just outside hive entrance for them to "rob" from

[@marsolek84]

Thanks for this video, I have this exact problem. I will recoat the few frames that are in the boxes that haven't been touched yet. What should I do with frames that are like yours where the bees have built funky comb on them, leave them? Pull the comb off and have them re-start building on a fresh frame? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[@elliemcleod9777]

We learned a lot from this video. Thank you!

[@JCsBees]

Awesome! That's why I make these video.

[@OkieRob]

I have some of the acorn foundation that is supposed to be heavy coated. Honestly i don't see that big of difference between it and the rite cell. But i could of gotten taken to the cleaners , when i ordered the acorn foundation it was on back order. They said they could double coat the regular and send that. So i said as long as it is equal to the heavy coat that would be fine. Did i get what is supposed to be heavy coat? I can not say for sure. Kind of like the mass produced queens that are sold online. I've had virgin queens hatch out that were bigger that what they claim are mated.

[@JCsBees]

Where did you order if from? Was it right from Acorn? I have honestly only heard good things about it but there could be a few issues I guess.

[@OkieRob]

I ohio bee company i think.

[@yonniyon-tusell5035]

Thank you Jason that was very helpful

[@JCsBees]

Adding wax will make a huge difference.

[@costacheflorin6290]

Hello Sir, Pls let us see how you clean from wax in order to reuse one older plastic frame.

[@thedroneradventures8374]

Im new to bee keeping..had a question about the plastic inserts for the frames. I had a thought about cutting the plastic foundation about an inch wide and hang it from the top bar. It would give the bees something to start off of but allow the bees to build their own comb....any thoughts on this idea

[@JCsBees]

Hello and welcome to beekeeping! Yes, you sure can cut it into strips (I suggest 1" wide"). I have done this before and it worked well. You may however want some cross wires added to the frame below the added strip. The cross wire will add a lot of strength to the comb in the summer heat.

[@437AlBig]

@@JCsBees I have also used paint stir sticks from the local paint store. They are usually more than happy to give you a handful or two if you ask. I just have to cut them the correct length and use some wax to glue them in place. It has worked well for me. I might try the dip method of coating my foundation this next time. I have used the paint brush method and yes it works but the dip method might be easier. I use to make dipped candles using melted crayons and water and it worked. Keep those videos coming.

[@got2kittys]

Buy the waxed, and then wax them like they weren't. That usually works.

[@1wildwackywoman]

Hi Jason - hope you are doing well and bees are busy. Do you have problems with the black foundations warping? And do you clip corners on a diagonal for bee movement?

[@JCsBees]

Hello, I have never had it warp on me unless I left it in direct sun too long. Also I do cut the corners.

[@1wildwackywoman]

Jason Chrisman Good to know. I’ve started switching over from wax foundation and saw a comment on a FB group about warping. I did ‘paint’ some with more wax and the girls are accepting nicely.

[@janetharner5620]

That wax crayon is cool, where would be a good place to buy those?

[@JCsBees]

I am not sure they are sold anywhere, I make them. All you need is a toilet paper roll and some wax to fill the roll.

[@janetharner5620]

@@JCsBees thanks!!

[@codymackin1245]

Wow I'm such a newbee...I bought someone getting out of bees hives. They had ALL plastic foundation. The bees totally ignored the frames. I pull the plastic out and used empty frames they drew there out the frames. I threw away all them frames and all it needed was a new coating 😌

[@JCsBees]

Oh my! We all make mistakes, as long as we learn from them we should just keep moving forward. I think this lesson with stick with you. A good coat of wax and they are great foundation, very durable.

[@codymackin1245]

I only removed the plastic inserts. Then put the foundation-less frames back into hives, they built them out. I've only heard bad things about plastic frames. Thought it to be true when they would not build them out. Also have you any videos on wax moths?

[@JCsBees]

Here is the videos I have on wax moths kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWWTkKmeo86DgNk Here is another kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYWriJ2OhtWaj80 Hope they help.

[@joehutton7501]

I have plastic foundation which is 1/4 inch less than the 17" inside diameter of the frame. Is that a problem?

[@pathofthebee2873]

Jason, I love what you do, thanks for the many years of great videos. I included a link to this video in one of my own, I hope that is okay. Keep up the good work.

[@JCsBees]

I am glad to hear you enjoy the videos, thanks! Feel free to share any of my videos.

[@randyk172]

Thanks for that information I figured that's what it was with some of mine after I researched. Now how would I go about replacing those I've got 8 frame medium boxes and just one of the boxes is like that I live in Virginia Beach thanks

[@JCsBees]

I would scrape off the old wonky comb and repaint them. You may have to feed 1:1 to encourage them to draw it out.

[@barbarahutcherson2802]

What is the material called that the bees build on ?.all the bee hive videos never name that part .thank you.

[@JCsBees]

It's called foundation.

[@reneemoorefrost4871]

Great waxing tips.

[@Peter-od7op]

How do you clean plastic frames with wood frame installed. Can u use a pressure washer

[@michaelmueller8976]

Very useful and helpful. Thank you brother.

[@lonnieperry8112]

thank YOU! good job. I love the Wax Crayon I will make some next wax melt.

[@JCsBees]

It's works well!

[@andrewklahold2880]

I think if plastic was roughed up with sand paper would help cause plastic is to smooth in so case wax wont stick to the plastic sort of like repainting a car just cant put new paint on the smooth surface it wont stick

[@JCsBees]

I understand what your saying but the wax has no issue sticking. The problem with most new foundation is it gets handled a lot before and during shipping and any bend or dropping of the foundation cause chunks of wax to fall off especially if the temperatures are cool/cold. A lot of places won't ship foundation during the winter because wax is brittle when cold. One other issue with the lack of wax on foundation is some companies are just cheap and put very little on. For this reason I always suggest ordering for a good reputable company. You do have me curious though if sanding the foundation slightly would deter the bees in anyway. Hmmmm...

[@andrewklahold2880]

@@JCsBees well they say thinking out side the box can go a long way when we think out side the box you have to try it in side the box in the engineering field you have an architect, they only do one thing design, in which is out of the box, then the design is given to an engineer, who under payed to an architect, be the engineer has to put the design in to the box

[@alexpaulson4597]

I've been reading (and watching) as much as I can, trying to prepare myself for getting some bees this coming spring. When it comes to frames and comb is where I seem to have the most confusion and discrepancy so I just have to ask what seems like it should be a very simple process... For hobby purposes, are plastic cell foundations used more for brood, and wax/wire on honey supers? I ask because right when I think I am supposed to extract honey from a (super) comb and SAVE that comb for next year, someone tells me to cut out the entire comb and have them draw a new one. Great channel, great videos and a thumbs up to each new one I watch!

[@JCsBees]

So glad to hear your getting bees. Now let me go ahead and tell you....You can ask 10 beekeepers 1 question and get 11-12 different answers. This does not mean that they are all wrong or right, it simply means that they each have their own method of doing things. Over time you will be the same way. Now to answer your question.....Plastic foundation or plastic frames with plastic foundation can be used anywhere (brood box or supers) unless you plan to sell cut comb honey. Some people do like to make the bees start over each year and build new comb I am not one of them. If you don't use chemicals that can get into the comb then why make them start over. It saves them a lot of work to keep the super combs for the following years. I do suggest your replace it every few years though. Personally I like the plastic frame and foundation because it's so strong and durable but it does take re-coating wax to get the bees to draw out comb on them. I hope I cleared up the confusion and if you have more questions just ask.

[@alexpaulson4597]

Thank you very much for the advice Jason! I am really excited to get started but a little nervous (and not about getting stung). In my preparation I may be reading too much and getting ahead of myself, or perhaps some things I have read over complicate things and it can feel discouraging at times. (Fear the swarm, fear the mites, fear the mite treatments, use this and don't use that) Until I found this video, I thought that plastic frames were more of a gimmick compared to the wax/wire foundation but from the sound of it, the wax coated plastic will work just fine. I am not planning on selling any honey, it's just for personal use and sharing with family. Thanks again and I'll keep watching and learning! Thumbs up!

[@airwolf61970]

Alex Paulson JC is right. Keep in mind, most of all the wax, foundation, block or candle in America is contaminated with pesticides unless you buy it from beekeepers who don't treat they're bees. And even then from drifting from other beekeepers near by it might still have pesticides. Ultimately you have to find your own way into and around beekeeping. I am treatment free and foundationless. Because I don't want to have to keep up with what hive I treated. All my wax is clean as I can get. Good luck with your bees sir. Stay tuned to JC, he is a wealth of knowledge.😊

[@mikeries8549]

The reason you get so many answers to any given question in the bee world is that much of the information we share with each other is anecdotal much like greg's post above. Very little funding to do actual quality scientific research so we're left with the anecdotal stuff like "john's bees are doing well and john does or doesn't...". When someone who has actually read and digested a scientific study and tries to share at a big bee association meeting it triggers chaos because it conflicts with the anecdotal stuff and we're back to arguing about what works for john. (there is no john, the names have been changed to protect the innocent/guilty)

[@betsydonato6817]

@@JCsBees I'm interested in ' Ground Bees ', and ' Honey Bees ', down on the Grain Belt area where Medicago Lucerne, better known as the ' Purple Medic ', is grown for feed. This special bee has to be burlapped around the integrated grass family crop perimeter ( stake about one yard out, and burlap one yard high ) such as corn, bamboo, or Sunflowers mainly. Their job is to keep the Honey Bees away from the Medicago, ( which is a dew point plant propagated at @ 30° gradient around fresh water lakes, much the same as Lavender, but uses half the loom ) because of the pistol legume part of the ( Sativum medic ) alfalfa, when harvested / tripped by a Honey Bee, knocks the bee out causing it to wander off and die. This highly medicinal plant along with the vocation of Vortec Turbine gutter and rain barrel

[@swrc78]

Great video. Do I need to cross wire my frames if I am using the same black plastic foundations you show in your video? Thanks!

[@JCsBees]

No wire is needed with the plastic foundation. The wire is used with wax foundation to add strength.

[@1wildwackywoman]

I have several empty wooden super frames and a handful of deeps that need foundation. In the past these frames had wax and wire foundation. Overtime the wires rust and the wax breaks. I’m thinking of switching over to plastic foundation. What’s your experience with one versus the other? It would be awesome if you could do a video on replacing plastic foundation in existing wooden frames Thx again for your great vids. Oh! Speak of the devil. I just saw your 2019 video making the jig for making frames and inserting plastic foundation! Thx!

[@bradgoliphant]

I use small rollers. For me, nothing works as well

[@jaredandrus101]

Thanks for the great advice!

[@tomhall3172]

Great tip brother thank you

[@darnbunny1]

Hi Jason, Please share your source for the beautiful NUC behind you in this video. Really enjoy and have learned a lot from your videos. TY

[@JCsBees]

I got them just down the road from my place. Here is his website www.beebarons.com/ I coated them with Tung oil. They are Amish built nucs.

[@darnbunny1]

Thank you, -K

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Love from Ibiza spain

[@papasstuff6381]

While I'm pulling honey , do you have any tips on telling whether it is "dry" enough to bottle ?

[@JCsBees]

Sure do. What I do is go by the 90% rule. Basically the frames needs to be 90% capped. Some people shake the frame and if nectar splatters that frame is too wet. You could also purchase a honey refractometer. They are very simple to use, probably will do a video on using one soon. Here is the one I have it's only $28 amzn.to/2uY8lv1

[@deborahabbott7746]

I look forward to this video. I have a similar refractometer, but I don't trust the calibration. It says my honey is about 15% moisture, and I don't believe it. I also use the 90% rule.

[@papasstuff6381]

I don't have a refractometer ,and I have already pulled 11 frames out of 3 hives . They don't drip when shaken , but they are only about 75% caped . I know dumb me ! Now is there a " simple , easy , cheap " way to dry it more . Yes I do know sometimes mistakes are expensive ! But that's part of learning , right .

[@linr2870]

@@papasstuff6381 Just for future reference. You can add more capped frames to make the 90% come out ok, or you can buy a dehydrator and put the frames in a very small room closet ect to dry out.

[@johnjordan7884]

Any issues with overwaxing? I recently waxed a bunch of frames using a 4" roller, and my only concern is it may be to much? Will the bees take care of it if that is indeed the case? Thanks

[@Eelesie]

Did you end up having any trouble with over waxing the foundation?

[@johnjordan7884]

@@Eelesie No, I think it actually benefited the bees!

[@piercebeekeeping]

Great video.

[@JCsBees]

Thanks!!

[@davehawley4827]

nice pattern