I am a retired beekeeper, if you ever actually retire, still keeping a few yard hives. I have rarely used foundation. Just flat starter strips, rolled, when warm, to orient the wax ( make it tougher), I have never had a hive that made foundation before filling it out so have never bothered to do it. It works fine and personally I believe that they build it out faster when they design it as they go. When I was much younger I thought long and hard about how bees were kept, I resolved to winter bees in a double deep, then at first sign of bud swell I add another box with starter strips to the bottom of the stack, the cluster will then move down and fill the top box with honey, as the spring progresses. There is no tendency to swarm as they have extra room in the early spring and because the extra box is below the existing ones they are not under pressure to maintain it, should the weather turn nasty. All the wax in the hive is less than 2 years old and isn't stained, so less disease.
This is our first year coming out of winter and our bees wanted to swarm. I had to rush to do a split and I'm still waiting to see if it worked or not. I really wish I had someone with your knowledge to help us along our way. Trying to find videos and books about all the things is hard considering everyone does it differently and we have already had unique situations, to where nothing was out there on the web.
I spent alot of money over years on foundation. But after my investment in making my own molds I've been extremely pleased. With my two molds I can cast 30 full size an hrs. I've found this to be a comfortable pace in producing my basicly free foundation.
Hi friend, I live in Brazil (google translator) could you make a video giving more details about the construction of this incredible template? You're a genius!
@@antmorgan9331 Thanks mate. I made one recently for drone comb (with varroa on the way) and just bent some strap iron (x3 pieces) into a U shape and crimped it onto the silicone pieces with pliers. That worked well.
Excellent, that's a great idea. We have a member of the local BKA who has the wired frames and she's been scratching her head at how to heat the wire and press it down nicely into the foundation. That tool fits the bill. Thank you for the reply sir much appreciated.
Goodday sir. You've said that you used a plastic sheet to make you're moulds from. It looks easy enough, I am going to make it myself. I pressume that silicon must be dureable to withstand the heated wax. How long does it take for that mould to settle? Cobus🐬
Hi The silicon was purchased on eBay. I constructed a wooden mould to hold a sheet of plastic foundation and pored silicon over the sheet. The following day I cast the second half of the mould. (I had to turn the sheet of foundation over and reposition it in the mould so that the cell alignment would be correct.) I hope this helps. Cheers Les
Hi, very very interesting.Thanks to have shared this. May you give more details about the silicon you ordered on ebay and the sheet of plastic foundation ? It appears that there is many type of silicon and many type of plastic foundation. Maybe you have used something to release the silicon from the sheet of plastic ? regards.
The bees can and will make good comb on flat sheets but only when the timing is right. During the rapid spring build up or on a strong flow this can occur. At other times, foundation with the organised cell structure is a better option. Flat sheets can result in very little cell building or messy comb which can end up as a waste in time and resources. As with all ideas, trial and experimentation are worth the effort.
I've never had a problem yet as long as i utilize a properly wired frame. Its quicker than an empty sheet. I also live in a place that is warm 9 months a year with only a few cold snaps
I’m pleased to hear that. I think the other advantage is that wax used from your own hives has an advantage. The bees seem to like it over commercially manufactured foundation.
Hi Phoenix, no I don’t have a video but the build is very simple. A strip of timber about 40x25mm and about 50mm long. The pressure points are all 13mm copper with one end squashed. 4 holes drilled and the pipes are pushed into place. The contact switch was also made from a piece of squashed copper tube.
Not really. The detergent is a weak mix and does not seem to have any impact on the bees. I do rinse every sheet by dipping them into clean water and allowing sheets to dry before use. The bees love this foundation and draw it out quickly. If you were concerned about the detergent, you could always head towards foundationless frames. For me, this method is better than using commercially made foundation. I just prefer using my own wax as I know it is essentially chemical free.
Hi, I made a beeswax foundation mat like yours, but need to ask how you control the thickness of the wax foundation. My foundation sheets are coming out to thick. Is it the temperature of the wax? or am I closing the mat too slowly after pouring the wax into the mat?
Hi Darren The sheets were always of a consistent thickness. The size of the sheet is regulated by the small lip around the edge of the bottom part of the mould. If that was too high, the sheets would be thicker. If the wax is too cool when the mould is closed, the sheets would also be thicker. Normally 10 or 11 pieces of foundation could be produced from one kilogram of wax.
Goodday sir. I am in the process of making my own wax sheet mould. On the handling side of the mould I see a stainless handle. Is it just for handling purposes? What is the life expectance of such a mould? How/where do you store this mould I also see that you don't apply pressure! The pressure present,is it adequite because of the weight of the mould? If so what will the thickness bee of such a mould? Stay safe and Godspeed,Cobus🐬
Hi Cobus, A piece of aluminium angle was attached with two stainless bolts purely to act as a hinge. The mould is just stored in a dry place out of direct sunlight. Each section is about 6 to 8mm thick. I used it for about 3 years with no obvious signs of wear. I currently use a different system to produce foundation as I have a lot more hives.
@@lesgold2132 Goodday Les,thanks for you're response. The silicon I am going to use is the following: images.app.goo.gl/A8UZcAzqDuXpokKT8 It took me a while to find it but I think I am on the right track. I've got plastic sheets to work from, I will let it settle (12 hours) before I remove it from the plastic. I've got 44 hives going to 100, hopefully I will manage. When did you switch from the silicon mould? Have a safe day and Godspeed, Cobus🐬
I think this other process is better because you can dip multiple times to make as thick as you want, by rolling it is more flexible, and you don’t have to make a silicon mold where it can flow out, not be even, have defects etc.one thing about this guy’s process is he didn’t show us how to make the silicon,mold. , it just seems this other video and way to do so is more consistent in the results. I have only seen a strip used not a whole frame covered with wax. SEE m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T7VxZVSLm4E.html The only other issue I have is silicon has a very distinct smell and I also wonder about the bees taking to the wax having been in touch with it. It is my understanding they really don’t care as much for plastic either and that plastic off glasses and leaves an off taste. It is my understanding the best is wood frames...preferably basswood but that is getting harder to get. Of course in nature - they build in tree crotches. Wood is more insulation than plastic too.
The bees love this foundation and draw it out quickly. I no longer use this method as I have too many hives and needed a process that would allow me to make foundation quickly. I now use the dipping method and run the flat sheets through an embossing roller. The disadvantage of this method is that the rollers are quite expensive. Just one other point on the off gassing and smell of the silicone. I didn’t notice any issues at all. The homemade foundation was drawn out quicker than commercial foundation. I can’t say why but the bees really liked this wax.