Hi Allen and All:
 
My experiences with Pierco and Permadent are a little different.  I agree
with all the comments about handling and ease of use.  I used 2000 Pierco
last year and another 2000 this spring.  I used the same amount of permadent
this spring.  My Pierco were white.
 
>Sometimes there would be  an area that was drawn out for drones or brace
>comb, but it was easily scraped off and the bees would correct it the next
>trip onto a hive.
 
I found this to be a serious nuisance.  I had little trouble with the
permadent, but a lot with the pierco.  I did not have nearly the same degree
of problem last year with the pierco, but they went on during clover flow.
This year the bees were stronger earlier and the pierco went on in
blueberries.  The batch lots and supplier of pierco were different this year
as well.
 
What I found was that the bees just seemed to detest working the pierco,
although they were waxed, and the boxes were baited with a centre and two
outside combs (I had no more drawn comb available,  I believe last year I
had five per box -- another difference).  I had LOTS of drone comb bridging
the combs, and I even had complete skinny combs built in between two pierco
frames in places where the frames were slightly apart ( and I was using ten
frame boxes).  Last year when I alternated combs I found the old combs drawn
very wide and the piercos were drawn only slightly.  I did not consider this
much of a problem as I figured they would continue them this year, which
they have.  At least the comb was regular.
 
I do not have the time to be scraping off all this bridge comb and as many
of these combs are in the second box they would not normally be going to the
honey house, although now they may have to.  It was not a problem for you
Allen, but it is for me.
 
>looking into hives that have a sheet of permadent and a frame of Pierco, I
>seem to see the bees favouring the Pierco by a wide margin.  Nonetheless,
>I must add that the Pierco was molded and waxed only a few weeks ago now,
>and the Permadent may have been in stock for a year or more.  Does
>freshness matter?  I suspect so.
 
My experience is the opposite.  In mixed boxes my bees seeme to prefer the
permadent.  They are drawing it nice and straight.  In fairness I should say
that there are not that many mixed boxes, and generally the pierco went on
before the permadent (because of the convenience) and the honey flow was
stronger later.  But you commented on the importance of supering early.  It
is important, but it is not a practice that will be encouraged if the bees
are going to screw up the comb before the main flow.  With natural wax the
bees sometimes chewed a few holes in it if the timing was poor, but it
certainly was a lot more attractive to the bees, and with new straight
frames well wired I could count on box after box of perfect combs.
 
Regards, Stan