# Mixing Supercell and Standard Foundation



## Tulipwood (Jul 16, 2006)

After reading Dennis Murrell's information on small cell at http://bwrangler.litarium.com/small-cell/. I have a question about mixing cell sizes. 

In starting a new colony with packaged small cell Italians, would it be acceptable to mix Supercell and Standard Foundation in a brood box? The larger cell foundation would go at the outside edges and the small cell would be used to raise worker brood in the center of the box. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>would it be acceptable to mix Supercell and Standard Foundation in a brood box?

I would never mix any kind of foundation and any kind of plastic drawn comb. The bees always prefer their comb to any kind of plastic. They will ignore the supercell and build the large cell. I would fill that box with either drawn comb or super cell, and I would leave out any large cell drawn comb, myself, unless it's already there being used by the bees.

> The larger cell foundation would go at the outside edges and the small cell would be used to raise worker brood in the center of the box.

I see large cell as the problem. I would not put any large cell foundation in my hives unless it was above a queen excluder in the supers and since I don't use a queen excluder...


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

If your trying to start a package or hive a swarm, I wouldn't mix it. I also suggest you put a queen excluder on the bottom and the top of your brood chamber. It will force the queen to use something she doesn't like, and they might abscound rather than use the plastic. Once she has laid a good, full brood pattern, remove the excluders.


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

I don't really need any bees this spring but I'm thinking about getting a package or 2 just to experiment with
I thought about a 5 frame nuc with 4 HSC frames and a partially drawn frame in the center(I have a few partially drawn frames)
thinking if I dumped in a package they'd jump on the partially drawn wax comb and once they got going they'd be forced onto the HSC 
just a thought
if it's foolish tell me why, I can take it









Dave


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## Tulipwood (Jul 16, 2006)

Okay. Thanks for the comments. Guess I will go with just the supercell for now. After reading the material on the Bee Wrangler's website I had doubts about going over to all small cell.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

>I thought about a 5 frame nuc with 4 HSC frames and a partially drawn frame in the center

I did just that on a few swarms last summer and it worked ok. I actully used Permacomb that had been used before or still had honey in it. They continued to draw out the PC to full depth and then moved onto the HSC.

I also had some cut-outs that I finished filling the box with HSC or intersperced the cut-out comb (in wood frames) with HSC. One in particular case they actully liked the HSC more and absconded their comb in favor of the HSC. I had seen that many times with PC, but at least once with HSC.


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

I took 10 of the mediums I made by cutting down HSC and layed them on their side, filled them with sugar, then soaked them with water
haven't figured out what to do with them yet
late winter feeding?
I just figured it would make the bees like them









Dave


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

.I just figured it would make the bees like them 

I figure it will make the bees like you.


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