> On Sep 7, 2015, at 10:57 AM, Jose Villa <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> 

> Not exactly the same topic, but related: plastic frames tend to get propolized to lids or other frames above them much more than wooden frames.  Why?



Actually, for me it is the same topic. Usually when the lid pulls the frames up, they are plastic ones. I have been pondering this since the Pierco frames first came out in the 1970s. THe put ten times as much burr comb on the plastic top bar as the wooden ones. After many years of staring at my navel, it occurred to me that the reason is this (drum roll):



A standard wood top bar is about an inch thick. The bees get to that point and they regard it as the “end of the comb”. Whereas, the Pierco top bars are not really bars at all. So the bees just continue the comb uninterrupted, all the way to the bottom bar above in the next super, or to the cover, as the case may be.



So, that’s probably why my lids are stuck down, too many plastic frames. Also, I seem to have a lot of hand me down supers with no bees space over the top bars. I admit I am loathe to lay any thing over the frames for the reasons Randy mentioned. 



They probably should have free access to that space. With the eastern style inner covers they have access to the space and also the space between the inner cover and the outer cover. Although I am not persuaded it makes any real difference what sort of cover you use, except maybe in winter. 



P



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