# To wax or not to wax?



## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

Just say no to waxing foundationless comb guides! Balsa wood? What's up with that? Pine too hard to work with?


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

I find the bees start reliably if the starter strip is waxed on 1 edge. Dipping works well. Nice & thick. When they find wax they know what to do. It works even better if the starter is 3/4" wide. They hang & draw comb, later filling in up to the topbar. It makes straight combs.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

Save yourself the work, don't wax the starter strip. The bees will always make a good connect to the bare wood.


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## Hank6 (Mar 15, 2016)

Thanks for the feed back. I waxed last season and it seemed to work fine. I've done a lot of reading this winter that was one subject that was all over the map. I used balsa wood because the plans I had 2 years ago called for it, and it seems to work fine and is easy to work with. Still not sure which way I'll go, I have wax so it's just a matter making a choice!


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## AugustC (Aug 7, 2013)

In my experience it doesn't make too much difference. You could save yourself some time and effort and instead of melting the wax on just get a wax block and rub it on the comb guides. This works just as well and the melting.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

Another item to consider is the wax clean? Is it from your hives or someone you know. I don't know if your treatment free, etc, but it seems to be a risk introducing something into the hive. Also, the bees don't need wax on the guides inside a hollow cavity. Good comb management is needed keep it straight regardless of the comb guide (albeit some guides require more management than others, some bees are that way too!).


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## typhoontx (May 1, 2013)

I have 2 tb hives , one I waxed the guides with melted beeswax , the other I didn't , didn't seem to make any difference, however I did melt and brush some wax on the inside surfaces of both hives to help give the hive the smell of a used hive along with a few dabs of lemon grass oil to help keep the package bees interested in staying put.


Regards, Robert


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I used to paint melted beeswax on the comb guides. After watching them fall off in the heat, I quit. The bees attach comb better without it. The painting is often just on the surface and not worked into the wood like the bees would do.


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## mrobinson (Jan 20, 2012)

Popsicle sticks glued into a slot is all the "guide" I've ever used, and it works fine.

The only actual improvement I've hit-upon is to saw a slight kerf, perpendicular to the bar, to coincide with where the bar naturally meets the (sloping) side-board when the bar is properly centered. The edge of the side-board neatly rests in the kerf, keeping the bar in place until the bees, of course, glue it.


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