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Foundation & Comb

Overview

Foundation is used in frames to give the bees a start on building the cells they need for storage: storage of food or babies.

Wired Wax

Wax foundation seems to be the most preferred by the bees when drawing it out. The wires embedded in the foundation helps to defer blow-out when extracting honey from the frame, especially when using a tangential extractor.


Wired Wax Foundation

Cut Comb Wax

This is essentially the same as the wired wax foundation; however it does not have any strengthening wires. That is not an issue as these frames will not have their honey extracted. Instead, it will be cut into squares for sale.


Cut Comb Foundation

Plastic Foundation

Plastic foundation is usually coated with wax to entice the bees to use it. However, my experience with this foundation is not as successful.

The beekeepers who prefer this say it is due to its resilience when extracting honey.


Plastic Foundation

Black Plastic Foundation

This is a plastic foundation which is black instead of amber colored. The beekeepers who use it say it is easier to see eggs in cells with a black background.


Black Plastic Foundation

Drone Cell Foundation (& Frame)

Drone cell foundation has larger cells than regular foundation. This is to encourage the hive to make drones in this frame.

Once the frame is full of drone cells, the frame can be then removed and frozen, killing the varroa mites which prefer drone brood over worker brood.

Drone foundation (& the frame) is customarily green to make it easy for the beekeeper to easily identify it.


Drone Cell Foundation

Additional pictures of this

Usage Notes

When installing a new frame in a hive, record the year on the top of the frame. A Sharpie works well for this.

You should plan to replace a portion of the darker frames from the brood chamber each year. Rotating out older frames reduces the colony's exposure to pesticide residues, pathogens, and brood remains that accumulate in brood cell wax over time. This is particularly important in the prevention of American foulbrood (AFB) and nosema infections. Replacing the frames can also help slow the development of antibiotic resistance in AFB and miticide resistance in Varroa mites by removing low levels of such contaminants captured in the wax of brood cells.

  • If you use medium boxes for all the boxes in your hive, then drawn frames from the honey supers can be moved down into the brood chamber.
  • Otherwise, you will need to replace them with frames with new foundation.

Plan to replace 20% of your frames every year. Also, no frames should be older than 5 years old.

Replacement of older, darker comb is easiest during initial spring cleaning of colonies or with removal of deadouts. Look for frames which have thick, dark comb and comb with more than 10 percent drone cells.

Notes on Re-usage of Old Comb

Jay Evans of the USDA Beltsville Bee Lab noted:

To combat viruses after a colony loss event, letting combs sit for at least 30 days seems advisable, longer if you can keep them safe. This is, of course, not advisable for colonies with any signs of AFB, which should be discarded, and the jury is still out on the benefits and scale of a ‘time out’ needed after symptomatic EFB. Combs from colonies facing an acute pesticide event should probably be taken out of circulation completely unless you have access to advanced wax purification with methanol or another solvent that will pull wax-loving chemicals free. Meanwhile, do what you can to manage disease and exposure to pesticides. This will give your bees and their homes one less thing to worry about.

How it Works

Notes on Making One

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Disclaimer: eMail comments to me at BeekeepingBoK @ Gmail.com. The process of beekeeping can cause injury or be a health hazard unless proper precautions are taken, including the wearing of appropriate protective equipment.