# plastic drone frame??



## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

have any of you used this?? your thoughts ideas..thanks!!
http://www.beeequipment.com/products.asp?pcode=364


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## Jim Williamson (Feb 16, 2006)

I bought several over the winter and I've got one in each of my hives right now. The bees have drawn them out quite nicely and I've got capped drawn brood in a couple. The idea is to pop them into the freezer and replace with another set. Repeat the process every two weeks. I plan on uncapping some of the drone brood and examining for varroa.

As I said, the bees did not hesitate drawing out the plastic frame. I'm now considering switching over to all plastic frames/foundation. I thought it would be more difficult than it was.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

It is a great concept and for smaller operation a good addition to IPM. I have heard it works well.


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

good deal..i'm ordering right now!!


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Sounds great! Works well. Easy to do. If its done correctly.

I say that because the vast majority of hives I have looked at that uses drone comb had one major flaw. The beekeeper! Instead of taking it out at the proper time, the beekeeper would forget to do this VERY important step. The result was a beekeeper that was increasing the mite total in the hive much more than the bees would of done on thier own.

If you use this method, remember the time frame required.


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

The drone frame should cut down on other drone cell in the colony. Not all, but a good chunk.

The bees have a good sense on how many drone cells to do regardless of what you do.

As BB said it is important to cycle the frames for good control.

I have some coming in myself.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

If you use plastic foundation like pierco, the bees have little drone area. With wax foundation they always chew the edges and then make drone comb. As sundance said, (if you use full sheets of plastic), they really utilize the drone comb.


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## Hayseed (Apr 25, 2004)

I have read two thoughts on removing dead drone larva after freezing these green drone comb foundations.

1) scrape cells and wax off prior to replacing in hive. This means the bees have to rebuild the wax cells.

2) place thawed frames back in hive and let the bees clean out the dead larva. This relies on the bees hygienic behavior.

Opinions please.

Also, is there any source of medium drone comb foundation for my all-medium colonies?

Dale


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

I'm going with option #2. I like the bees to work, not me


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

What is the optimal placement for these in the brood nest? 2nd in from exterior?? Or 1 more in?


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## 2rubes (Apr 28, 2005)

I have been using Dadent's wax drone cell foundation in deep size, cut down to fit medium supers. I have never used wax foundation before, just the plastic inserts, but I had old frames that had wires still in. My husband showed me how to heat it up using a battery charger to embed the wires in the wax. I just put the undrawn foundation in about 3+ weeks ago into our strongest hive (4th in above brood nest) and removed it yesterday. I'll take a picture and post it today. It was filled with capped brood with drones just hatching (yes, a few days too late), but plenty still sealed. I put it right into the freezer. As with the frames that I made last year by putting empty frames above the brood nest, I freeze for at least 24 hours, then I scrape the top of the cappings with a knife just to make holes and insert them right back into the hive. I read last year about people leaving them outside to warm up a bit hour before putting them back in, but I never did that. By morning, there are piles of white pupue laying outside the hive.
I just wrote about my other method of putting medium frames in deep supers, and I hope to discontinue that when I have enough frames of drone foundation drawn out. I hate having to destoy the wax and have the bees rebuild. I much rather put in drawn out drone foundation when possible. 
I realized I got into trouble by not removing them in a timely fashion because of the very cold and nasty weather and our traveling. Just those few days increased our mite load.
Janet


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If you have all worker foundation in the brood nest and not much drone, then it won't matter where you put it. If they want to rear drones they will draw it and if the queen can get to it, she will lay it up. I've had drone comb in the top super and the queen found it and layed it up.


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## MGaddy (Apr 1, 2006)

I think I just came up with a good use for FIRE ANTS.
Just ordered some of the pierco drone frames, and if I understand correctly from the "Bee Math", I can just replace the comb every 2 weeks and they should be capped and ready to go. Now here's where the ants come in. Would there be a problem with just leaning them against a tree, say 50' from the colonies for the ants to clean up? They would be open to air on all sides, but would I be just asking for wax moths to get started, and then helped out by me placing them back into the colony the next week?

Thanks,
Mark


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Just ordered some of the pierco drone frames, and if I understand correctly from the "Bee Math", I can just replace the comb every 2 weeks and they should be capped and ready to go.

That works. AND if you forget you can still get them out at three weeks (21 days) and catch them before they emerge.

> Now here's where the ants come in. Would there be a problem with just leaning them against a tree, say 50' from the colonies for the ants to clean up?

Not for the ants. I'm not sure I would want to train the ants to enjoy the taste of bee larvae though...

The bees will clean them out nice and neatly without damaging the comb.

> They would be open to air on all sides, but would I be just asking for wax moths to get started, and then helped out by me placing them back into the colony the next week?

My guess is, the fire ants will eat the wax moth larvae as well.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Does anyone recommend a specific type of drone frame or foundation. Ideally I would like something similar Pierco in a wooden medium frame.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Put an empty frame in and they will almost always draw a frame of drone comb if they don't already have some. It's cheap, easy, quick and effective.

Pierco makes frames, but I think they are deeps. You can cut them down. I think they also make plastic sheets, which could also be cut down.


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## SGebauer (Nov 11, 2004)

You can also hold the frame at arms length and blast it with a garden hose. The water shears the caps off and flushes out the cells. You can shake the excess water off and pop it back in the hive. It saves on freezer space. Jeff Pettis, who helped Pierco when they developed their frame, tested this method and found it worked quite well.

You might also want to take a look at a method of using the frame that Dennis vanEngelsdorp at Penn State and Betterbee are testing - the link is below.

http://www.betterbee.com/resources/droneframe.asp


Cheers,
Shane


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

Just place a shallow frame in to your hive if using Deeps 9 5/8" or a empty frame if placed toward the side of the center ( second or 3rd from the side) they will usally build drone come every time.

Then just run your hive tool down the bottom bar and cut it off 

no Freezing no second trip to place it back in when they get ready they will rebuild another 

just keep check when you can


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## popscott (Apr 12, 2005)

My 2 cents worth! .....

I've been using the plastic drone frames for a couple of years now.... I ran across articles..

http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000354;p=2

http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/newsletter2_print.htm

It states in both articles that they left their drone frame in for 26 to 28 days.... I have experimented with this "timing" several seasons and just took off a frame that was 27 days old...it was a plastic frame , BUT fully drawn from previous extractions....the most mature bees I found had almost fully developed with hair and complete eyes and wings and body....the least mature were 
in the larva stage.... This would be the latest I'd let the drone frame go without having bees emerge and further contaminate the bee population with new mites, but still get the most "bang for my bucks" as for the bees effort. I have pulled the frames after 21-24 days and still have quite a few open larva cells, which defeats the purpose of the varroa female entering the cell right before it is capped. .....

But I see amazing results with the drone frames I have pulled out. Some drone cells not having any mites in them to some cells with up to 6 mites crawling out of it. I had a wooden frame (foundationless) get loaded with drone and a few worker cells right beside them. I opened up a couple dozen worker cells and found NO mites, but the drones cells next to them had the mites in them.

Oh yea, after they (the drones) pass the "purple eyed monster" stage of developement, they are actually tough enough to take to the river for some Bluegilling!

I have put some pictures on from "playing" around with these drone frames and my microscope. Come by and have a look. These critters are UUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGLLLLLLLYYYYYYYY.
http://www.justkiddinfarm.com/varroa/varroa.html

Thanks,
Pam and Scott
http://www.justkiddinfarm.com/

Oh yea, again, just my 2 cents worth!


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