Hello Joe & All,
Joe asked:
>I know that this is the common belief by many beekeepers, but I  have
never seen any evidence supporting this assumption.

Some things have never been tested but those of us which have had foundation
made with a larger amount of wax have seen with our own eyes the bees draw
twice as quick as foundation with the normal wax thickness.

I will say in a strong honey flow in a strong hive the difference is minimal
but their still is a difference. Most producers of foundation will run a
thicker wax if requested. Most want a 100 pound minimum.

Common sense tells us when bees need wax in a hurry they use existing wax in
the hive wherever they can find it. Sometimes the bees will strip the
foundation from a comb honey super. Why not simply produce the wax?

Many of us feel makers of plastic foundation do not put enough wax on their
foundation. However in a strong flow I have had unwaxed plastic drawn very
fast.

In my opinion the bees do not respond to feeding syrup like they do to a
honey flow when it comes to wax production. Something I have always wondered
about.
However:
 My opinion is ( and results of my own testing) that beekeepers feed to
thick a syrup which slows the bees down. The syrup mixture needed for the
bees to produce wax as fast as a honey flow needs to be as thin as nectar in
my opinion.

Bob


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