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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:14:17 -0400
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>Are the PF120s not also different in the size of cells?
>
>>My own bees made a mess of some of the PF100s on the first 
>>attempt, with lots of drone and strange transition cells, but after 
>>I scraped down the errant sections of comb and rewaxed with 
>>a roller, they have done better on the second try!
>
>That is interesting in that when I reported that the bees had 
>drawn the 5.0 mm comb well as the Permadent, I was typically
>looking at solid frames of honey and I did think I may have noticed 
>some larger cells in the corner areas of some, but the combs were 
>capped and the capping were flat, so I assumed that I was 
>imagining it and made a note to look further later.
>
>The open 5.0 drawn comb I saw where brood was raised looks to be 
>pretty well all worker size.

(Forgive the quotes, but the material is necessary for continuation of 
this old thread. The way the logs are arranged, threads can be broken).

Let me update this, now that I have added a full super of foundation to 
each of 38 colonies as thirds, and observed the result.

I used two types of foundation: black Permadent (I think), measuring 
somewhere around 5.3 or5.4 mm in wood frames and the Mann Lake 
white one-piece frames with 5.0 mm cells. The supers are all BeeMax 
standard depth supers with a one-inch auger hole in the front. 
Excluders were not used.

The bees drew quite a lot of the foundation, and in some hives the 
boxes were completed and filled with honey.  in others, less work was 
done.

In examining the work, it is evident that the bees sometimes drew the 
entire 5.0 frames perfectly, but often they drew part of the surface 
according to the pattern, but the rest was odd shaped cells or larger cells.

The larger cell foundfation was generally drawn perfectly without odd
shaped or drone cells.

In conclusion, I am very disappointed in the 5. frames and satisfied 
with the 5.3/5.4m foundation.

I had though that I was buying Pierco or a knock-off when I got the 
one-piece frames and am quite disappointed since I consider hte 5.25 
mm cell size of the Pierco to be ideal and a size that is drawn well by 
the bees.

I also confirmed that the bees tend not to draw foundation as eagerly 
near the auger holes and that for foundation drawing or comb 
production, top entrances are counter-productive.

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