Joel Govostes wrote: > > I have ended up with a number of the plastic frame/foundation units, and > find them time to time while going through the hives.. The nice thing > about them is there is more comb area compared to wooden frames, since the > plastic forming the top, bottom and side bars is very thin. > > A problem I encounter is that these "frames" are somewhat flexible. When > one tries to pry ("prise" for you British folks) the frames apart the > plastic bends and the comb has a tendency to twist. This is not a major > problem, however. Perhaps newer ones have been reinforced. (?)Yes, if the ones you have are from the '70's , they have been modified a couple of times, they will still flex, but they return to there original shape after beiing flexed. The ones I > have were purchased by another beekeeper back in the early 70's. I'm not > sure if Pierco (or whoever made them) originally coated the plastic > "foundation" with beeswax, Yes they where coated with bees wax then as now, and it's a matter of opinion wheather they need wax coating or not to be drawn. or if that is even necessary to get the bees > working it. One thing is certain, one of these deep plastic frames (or > medium for that matter) holds a lot of honey! -- Just because of the > larger comb area available. Plus the combs are extremely even and absent of > dronce cells. The bees are also more reluctant to goo-up the plastic > frames with propolis. > > Acceptance of the plastic foundation, when new, is something about which I > hear very mixed stories. Some people say that the bees ignore it if there > is wax foundation in the hive. Others have had the bees take right to > them. I was fortunate as the plastic ones I have were already drawn when I > got them! SO, what is the general concensus on acceptance and comb > construction with these frames? Tnx, JWGIf you have strong colonies on a good flow, the plastic will be drawn the same as wax foundation,introduced in the same way as wax. It's as simple as that.