# Where to buy PermaComb or the like



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

HSC (Honey Super Cell) is the "like" and but it's only in deeps and you'd need to cut it down to 6 1/4" from the 9 1/4" it comes in. I've cut lots of it down...

www.honeysupercell.com


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## Tara (Jun 17, 2010)

Mike, When you cut down the HSC, have you managed to screw/glue/tack the remainder into a medium frame, or onto a bar, to use that too? Seems a couple extra inches of comb is better than none, and the bees could fill the rest out as they pleased. If that works, it would be worth the extra buck or two vs PC. And small cells to boot...


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Mike, When you cut down the HSC, have you managed to screw/glue/tack the remainder into a medium frame, or onto a bar, to use that too?

I haven't done it, but I bought some 6" deck screws and was going to cut some 3/8" by 3/4" top bars out of a one by and screw the top bar and down threw two of the scraps to make a comb. I didn't get it done but I'm sure it will work fine.

> Seems a couple extra inches of comb is better than none, and the bees could fill the rest out as they pleased. If that works, it would be worth the extra buck or two vs PC. And small cells to boot... 

I was going to do six inches (you cut 3" off of a 9 1/4" comb to make a 6 1/4" and I would put two of them on one).


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Michael Bush said:


> >Mike, When you cut down the HSC, have you managed to screw/glue/tack the remainder into a medium frame, or onto a bar, to use that too?
> 
> snip


IMO you don't want "remainders... cut the deeps in half.


*I have only used a Hot Glue Gun to mount the HSC into medium frames.* The HSC is often warped a little bit, so with some care (and patience) you can do a good job of mounting them. 

I center and glue one side... let it cool.
Glue the other side.... and let it cool.
Then hold the center into position and glue it. You will need to hold it while the glue hardens some.

I started by cutting down the deeps to mediums and then mounting the cut-offs into frames. I now cut off the tops and then cut the HSC in half. 

It's much quicker and there is just the 1 inch or whatever open at the bottom that the bees can manage on their own.

*Hot Glue Gun* :thumbsup: No drilling No Screws No Hassle

Having a full wooden top-bar over HSC comb... PRICELESS!


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## MapleME (Sep 28, 2009)

Are you just running the HSC for your supers and natural comb for the rest of the hive? Seems like that could be a good strategy for honey production.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I don't differentiate between supers and brood nest. I have a lot of different things and I mix and match them everywhere. Natural comb, PermaComb, Mann Lake PF120s and HSC cut down. They all have advantages and I tend to leverage those to get what I want. For instance the PermaComb has no spacers so I can put one in the center and regular sized frames for the rest and get 9 frames in an eight frame box. The HSC has spacers so it can go anywhere I want spacers and drawn comb. Empty frames are good for swarm control and I tend to put those in the middle of a strong hives brood nest in swarm season. PF120s are handy to make sure the bees get off in the right direction and are cheap and I don't have to assemble them.

http://bushfarms.com/beesulbn.htm


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## wdcrkapry205 (Feb 11, 2010)

Some liken wax comb as the "liver" of a beehive, absorbing and neutralizing toxins. If this is so; how much less of a liver can a healthy hive be without? I like and use plastic foundation, what I'm referring to is fully drawn plastic comb which except for the exorbatent cost I have concidered using.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

For PermaComb, you may want to get on John Seet's email list.

Seets, John F. <[email protected]>

He'll send you all the details about ordering...


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## Tara (Jun 17, 2010)

Another question about PermaComb (or any of the other fully-drawn foundations):

Do the bees build the comb out thicker from where the plastic ends? I intend to use the combs for honey as well as in the brood nest, but it occured to me that I might not have any 'excess' depth to cut off with an uncapping knife. Do they build out, or do you just have to use the capping scratcher excessively?

Another question: how do queen cells go? If I had a broodnest entirely of plastic comb, can the bees build their supercedure cells properly?

Thanks!


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## scdw43 (Aug 14, 2008)

I just kept seven hives for a friend that was deployed for 14 Mons. The hives had 2 frames of permacomb in each box. In the 14 mons I did not see a single egg or any brood in one of those frames. Honey was stored in frames if they were in the 1 or 10 position. He had some in the middle of the brood nest when I got them. The queen would stop the brood nest when she laid up to one. He has returned home, he is healthy, and his bees are healthy but all of the permacomb is in the 1 or 10 position. These were not new combs they had been in treatment free hives for three years. Just my observations.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Do the bees build the comb out thicker from where the plastic ends? 

If you leave the space. I'd put eight or nine in a ten frame super.

>I intend to use the combs for honey as well as in the brood nest, but it occured to me that I might not have any 'excess' depth to cut off with an uncapping knife. Do they build out, or do you just have to use the capping scratcher excessively?

I use a Hackler Honey Punch if they are too low to cut with a knife.

>Another question: how do queen cells go? If I had a broodnest entirely of plastic comb, can the bees build their supercedure cells properly?

Bees can't really do an emergency properly in normal brood comb on wax as the cocoons make it too tough to tear down the cell, so they float the larvae out and build on the surface. They do the same on the plastic comb, unless they find an egg somewhere they can pull it off. But for a supersedure they almost always find a place to build a queen cup. I've seen them raise them on those blank spots that are used to push the comb out on the surface of the comb instead of from an egg that is in a cell.


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