E.t. wrote:
>The rigid plastic foundation has tear off tabs on two corners and do you tear this off and if yes do you position the tear away tab at the top or the bottom >of the frame?

The pre-assembled frames have Rite Cell foundation that has small, triangular tear off tabs on the two lower corners. I did not punch them out, because they are so close to the edges that they didn’t seem to have much value (figured, if the bees could get that far, they could go another half inch or so to make it around the edge of the wooden frame).  I was thinking that openings of value would be located away from the edge, drilled out as you noted, where the cluster would be more likely to get stranded.  Which, of course, would interfere to some extent with the brood pattern.  The bees could always fill them in for more brood space, I suppose, but that would kind of defeat the purpose, since how would they find the, now filled in, holes in the winter?  I can certainly punch out the tabs this spring, and see, if that makes a difference.  Which begs another question:

For those of you, who use plastic foundation with the punch out tabs, do you actually punch out the tabs?  If so, have you noticed any benefit (e.g. like me, you didn’t remove them at first, but then did and saw an improvement in overwintering, or even evidence that the bees actually use them or just fill them in)?

Thanks,

Bill, in balmy Claremont, NH, where it is currently -3F/-19C

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