>> Have any users of Permadent foundation found a successful way to clean the
>> old foundation (especially that which has been used for brood nest area) in
>> order to reuse the foundation anew?  I am looking for a description of a way
>> in which to clean the foundation without causing damage to it.
>
>I believe that Jean-Pierre chapleau indicated that when frozen, the
>combs could be readily stripped, as the comb disengaeges from the
>foundation with a little flexing.
 
Here I am
 
The flexing trick is something I was told by Mr Coppola, a New York State
beekeeper who uses Piercos.  I use Piercos myself for the second year now
but I have no dark built plastic frames. So I could not try the flexing
method myself.
 
Nevertheless I cleaned some newly built plastic frames simply by scraping
them with large spatula at a temperature around 10 degres celcius or lower.
For darker frames with thick cell walls I imagin the colder the frame the
easier it would be to clean them out.  I know that Permadent have deeper
cell prints than Pierco foundation.  Maybe this makes a significant
difference and they may bee harder to clean out.
 
Anyway try the cold and let us know!
 
Jean-Pierre Chapleau
bee breeder
Quebec, Canada
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Jean-Pierre Chapleau
Queen breeder
Vice-president of the Canadian Honey Council
1282, rang 8, Saint-Adrien de Ham, Quebec province, Canada, J0A 1C0
phone (819) 828-3396; fax (819) 828-0357
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