On Sun, 27 Aug 1995, Liz Day wrote:
 
> I keep reading about 'foundations', made of plastic, which i imagine
> are little press-out forms for the bees to make comb on -?
> But the comb honey I bought was in a little square wooden frame about
> 5" square, and it was all wax inside.  How are these things obtained?
> (I have never actually seen a hive,  or inside one, so in my
> imagination everything is rather amorphous!)
> Thanks,
 
Hi Liz,
 
I think you may be getting accidently mislead here.
 
Foundation is the very thin innermost 'core' of the comb and
is used mainly to get the bees to make the comb where *we* want
it, not where *they* think is a good place, i.e., we'd like
it in the frames please and not at right angles to them ;-)
 
Most of the foundation used by beekeepers is natural beeswax.
Plastic foundation is more expensive but more robust, so has
some strength and longevity advantages. This is particularly
true when we extract the honey -- normally done in a kind of
centrifuge.
 
When we get our bees to make the comb in the little square
(or round) frames, or when we cut the comb into boxes or jars,
I think I can safely say the foundation we give them is *always*
natural beeswax, not plastic. (Beeswax is edible, if sometimes
a little chewy.)
 
Certain types of plastic *comb* are claimed to reduce the rate
at which varroa breeds. This stuff is pretty expensive and
probably only used in the brood areas.
 
Hope that clarifies things, regards,
--
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