# Acorn frames



## Jtcmedic (Apr 7, 2017)

Recently tested some acorn frames and foundations and liked them alot. Contacted nick and put in a order they other day and he got them to me no problem, was a pleasure to work with as I changed my mind on amount 3 -4 times getting quotes and was Pleasant on the phone. Can?t wait To make splits this spring.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Jtcmedic said:


> Recently tested some acorn frames and foundations and liked them alot.


I ordered some triple waxed foundation from Pierco. On the day I wanted to order, for some reason the Acorn website wouldn't load and I ended up ordering from Pierco. $1.52/sheet when ordering a box of 100. shipping included. We shall see how they do this spring.


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

I have used their foundation and been very pleased with the service and the quality of the product. The plastic feels a bit "softer" than some other brands I have used and the bees have drawn it out perfectly. I cant say enough good things about them. They did lose an order of mine a couple of years ago and when I called back looking for it a few weeks later Nick was on it right away and it came 2 days later with a personal note.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I have dealt with Nick on two separate occasions to buy heavy waxed medium foundation for my supers. He is always pleasant and responds right away, even on weekends. The bees draw the foundation out perfectly and I see no reason to ever purchase from anyone else. I was given 20 or so Acorn deep frames that I will use in a hive this spring. I expect they will be perfectly drawn as well.


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## Kamon A. Reynolds (Apr 15, 2012)

Acorn is my favorite for sure. I have 6000 sheets of them. Nick is easy to work with.


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## Jtcmedic (Apr 7, 2017)

JWPalmer said:


> I have dealt with Nick on two separate occasions to buy heavy waxed medium foundation for my supers. He is always pleasant and responds right away, even on weekends. The bees draw the foundation out perfectly and I see no reason to ever purchase from anyone else. I was given 20 or so Acorn deep frames that I will use in a hive this spring. I expect they will be perfectly drawn as well.





Tennessee's Bees LLC said:


> Acorn is my favorite for sure. I have 6000 sheets of them. Nick is easy to work with.


I will be using them soon and will be switching out all my others as I expand.


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## COAL REAPER (Jun 24, 2014)

would like to hear what you all think of these acorn vs. pierco


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

COAL REAPER said:


> would like to hear what you all think of these acorn vs. pierco


In my case, I only have Pierco. I am hoping to do a comparison of the triple waxed Pierco vs standard coated Mann Lake vs wax foundation. I have 300 sheets of the Pierco, about 100 wax and about 300 Mann Lake. 
I'd be surprised if there was a huge difference in acceptance between the Acorn and Pierco....but one never knows.


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## honeyhartbees (Jan 26, 2020)

Started last fall with foundationless frames with 2 bamboo skewers going down thru the top bar of the frame, then resting in the bottom groove.
Painted them with old wax around the edge of the frame. Bees draw them out really good, the skewers support the weight of the honey, or brood really well. Cost per frame was right at $1.10, which included cost of frames, shipping, and skewers.


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## crab414 (Jan 6, 2020)

Hi there. How fast will they out the foundattionalless compared to wax foundation and plastic?


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

beemandan said:


> I ordered some triple waxed foundation from Pierco. On the day I wanted to order, for some reason the Acorn website wouldn't load and I ended up ordering from Pierco. $1.52/sheet when ordering a box of 100. shipping included. We shall see how they do this spring.


Interesting thread. I wanted to get some Acorn Frames, but balked at the price, $8.00 each :-0, I hadn't thought of another brand, thanks for posting about the Pierco, more affordable for me.


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## COAL REAPER (Jun 24, 2014)

Hogback Honey said:


> beemandan said:
> 
> 
> > I ordered some triple waxed foundation from Pierco. On the day I wanted to order, for some reason the Acorn website wouldn't load and I ended up ordering from Pierco. $1.52/sheet when ordering a box of 100. shipping included. We shall see how they do this spring.
> ...


$8e!?!? that has got to when you only order one and it includes shipping, right?


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## dd33 (Jun 20, 2019)

I've been using Acorn all plastic frames and Acorn foundation. It is the cheapest I have been able to find and the quality seems nice. 
I don't like the all plastic frames though, too many extra places for hive beetles and wax moth larvae to hide. I swear, every one of the frames has a wax moth larva in the each of voids on the side bar. I never see them on my wood frames. I can fit more of them in my extractor though, so theres that.


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

Nick is a good guy. I have warmed up to the 1 piece frame and foundation. Got my two pallets in 2 weeks ago.


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## honeyhartbees (Jan 26, 2020)

My limited experience, they will draw out foundationless faster and more completely than plastic.
You will get more drone cells, especially on the first one.


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## Jtcmedic (Apr 7, 2017)

8.00 wow!! It depends how many you buy. My test batch on Amazon was 3.00 apiece shipped.
I got 10 to test, all filled in about 3 days. Direct order this time around but my order was much larger. And no putting together, I to am warming up to one piece frame


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## viesest (Jul 13, 2016)

dd33 said:


> too many extra places for hive beetles and wax moth larvae to hide. I swear, every one of the frames has a wax moth larva in the each of voids on the side bar.


At least one side of side bar doesn't have to have holes and then again the other side can have ribs instead of holes or both sides can have zig zag pattern with shifted phase.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

Been dealing with Acorn sense the beginning. Great company to work with. I've sold them tons of beeswax too. Most company have been cutting there beeswax to make things cheaper, but Nick has kept it 100% beeswax all the way.


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

Jtcmedic said:


> 8.00 wow!! It depends how many you buy. My test batch on Amazon was 3.00 apiece shipped.
> I got 10 to test, all filled in about 3 days. Direct order this time around but my order was much larger. And no putting together, I to am warming up to one piece frame


I'll have to check Amazon out, in the past when I've checked out the Acorn website, and emailed for prices, I was quoted $8.00 ea. Maybe the price has come down some, I'll check it out again.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

Acorn has a website? I have always just emailed my order to Nick and he emails me a total.


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## edzkoda (Aug 9, 2014)

www.acornbee.com Nick is a great guy and has products that work. No prices (that I have seen on the site, but I usually just call). All I use anymore , even with shipping from Cali to NE Ohio.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Anyone that wants to get in touch with Nick can email him at [email protected]. Delivered prices vary according to location and quantity and all, but I get 100 sheets of heavy waxed medium foundation delivered to my house out in the sticks for around $1.25 per sheet. Freight is the real killer. I may need to have it delivered to my work in town to save a few bucks.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

Ok website with no pricing. I really don't know how he gets is freight price so low. 6 skids from CA to NW Ohio less then $700. The prices you guys are talking are crazy. At the price I get acorn for I don't look anywhere else. Even the other big guys with there sale prices can't beat Acorn prices. Get your orders together (club pricing) buy it by the skid.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

A club purchase sounds like a great idea. I will bring that up at our next meeting.


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## Boardrida20 (Sep 2, 2016)

Betterbee had perco and now carries acorn foundation. I live 15 min away and therefore benefit from free s/h. I have also used both. I origionaly got the heavy wax and wasnt impressed with the level of coverage. It appears to be pressure sprayed on. That being said i think my expectations were to high based on the reviews i read. I prefer it to perco based on quality, uniformity. I mini roller wax with a foam pad on the frames prior to putting in the frame. I find better acceptance to get least wax and apply my own wax. The bees RIP right into it as along as the wax hasent sat for too many months. Leftover frames from the py get a fresh brush when I prep foundation.


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## Pchristu (Aug 10, 2016)

dd33 said:


> I've been using Acorn all plastic frames and Acorn foundation. It is the cheapest I have been able to find and the quality seems nice.
> I don't like the all plastic frames though, too many extra places for hive beetles and wax moth larvae to hide. I swear, every one of the frames has a wax moth larva in the each of voids on the side bar. I never see them on my wood frames. I can fit more of them in my extractor though, so theres that.


I use wood frames, but have had a few one-piece plastic ones that came in nucs. I just dribbled melted beeswax or food grade paraffin into all the nooks and crannies I didn’t care for.


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## josher1001 (Jan 31, 2014)

beemandan said:


> I ordered some triple waxed foundation from Pierco. On the day I wanted to order, for some reason the Acorn website wouldn't load and I ended up ordering from Pierco. $1.52/sheet when ordering a box of 100. shipping included. We shall see how they do this spring.


I'm quoting your text... particularly the part where you say "triple waxed." I have found it ridiculous that varying amounts of wax are applied to frames. Doesn't everyone want heavy wax?? When you buy a frame without wax and do it yourself... It's messy and you must be careful not to melt the plastic, but the amount of wax is very heavy. 
I understand that wax costs money, and I understand that companies can save money by putting less wax on frames, but who wants a waxed frame that has such a minimal amount of wax on it that you can't see it. It's ridiculous, I have seen the double/heavy wax frames and that's what I would expect every frame to look like. Sometimes I don't use my new frames in the same season I purchase, and the light wax will literally disappear during that time waiting for the new box to get put on a hive. This normal/light wax coating is something that I can't believe anyone in the market truely wants. It's ridiculous to call them waxed frames.
Sorry all for the rant.
Cheers,
Josh


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

josher1001 said:


> who wants a waxed frame that has such a minimal amount of wax on it that you can't see it


I’ve made the same argument myself. Why would anyone produce a wax coated piece of foundation that they knew was incompletely coated? Obviously, the answer is money. 
I used to assemble all of my frames and installed wax foundation. That is an ordeal! And, if those frames are put into a hive when there isn’t a serious nectar flow on….the bees will chew all of the wax out. 
I’ve waxed my own before. That is every bit as big an ordeal as wax foundation. The results are good though. If I had less than twenty hives and was splitting each every spring….this might be acceptable. 
This is the first year I’ve ever bought ‘extra’ waxed plastic foundation. I don’t mind paying $1.50/sheet if it is fully coated. The foundation I just got is well coated. 
What I do resent is someone advertising ‘wax coated’ foundation that isn’t fully coated….regardless of how cheap. 
Also, I don't care if they are called triple, double or max wax. That is simply marketing hype. If they were actually being honest they would have unwaxed, half waxed or completely waxed.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

The Honey Householder said:


> Been dealing with Acorn sense the beginning. Great company to work with. I've sold them tons of beeswax too. Most company have been cutting there beeswax to make things cheaper, *but Nick has kept it 100% beeswax all the way*.


I sure hope that is the case. Last year, based upon the overwhelming comments here on beesource, I tried Acorn foundation for the first time. I ordered 100 sheets of the heavy waxed version. Upon opening the box, the smell wasn't your typical "sweet" beeswax smell. It actually smelled nothing like beeswax. Further, I didn't think the wax coating was all that thick. I immediately contacted Nick and he assured me that the thickness (which was my main concern) was "heavy" and suggested that I get it on the bees and see how it performs. I did not ask about the smell. I followed his advice, and the bees really took to it and built it out very quickly. So, at the end of the experiment, I have no strong objections and the bees seemed to really love it, but the smell seemed off. Not quite sure how pure beeswax could not smell like beeswax... I have a friend at work who, based on my suggestion, ordered some Acorn foundation and chose not to use it because of the smell. I've used LOTS of Mann Lake RiteCell and it always smells like beeswax. Not sure what to make of it - just sharing my impressions of the product. I will probably buy more in the future.


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## beepimp (Dec 19, 2016)

I call Nick directly. I always get a better rate. Of course I buy several thousand at a time. I use both full frames and inserts alway double waxed. Full for supers and inserts for hive bodies. Have not had any issues with their products. Who buys just 1 frame?


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## Rigratt (Feb 6, 2020)

Which is preferred better by the bees the acorn white or black


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

It is dark inside the hive, the bees don't care. Traditionally, the black is used in the brood nest because it makes eggs easier to see. White is used in the honey supers because it looks cleaner. I use black in my supers just because I am ornery.


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## Rigratt (Feb 6, 2020)

JWPalmer said:


> It is dark inside the hive, the bees don't care. Traditionally, the black is used in the brood nest because it makes eggs easier to see. White is used in the honey supers because it looks cleaner. I use black in my supers just because I am ornery.


Thanks, sounds simple enough. My startup hive came with a mixture of both wooden and plastic frames and all of them were black.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

You have a longer window of safety leaving a white frame in the sun before a puddle of wax and a warped foundation results. Square onto the sun angle is a bad idea.


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## Rigratt (Feb 6, 2020)

Saltybee said:


> You have a longer window of safety leaving a white frame in the sun before a puddle of wax and a warped foundation results. Square onto the sun angle is a bad idea.


Thanks, didn’t think of that either. It does get pretty hot here in the summertime.


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## Jtcmedic (Apr 7, 2017)

I think black is easier to see eggs on.


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## honeyhartbees (Jan 26, 2020)

If you really think about it, black foundation only helps you see eggs the first couple times that the bees use it for brood. After 2-3 rounds of brood, the residue in light foundation has the same effect, helping to see eggs.


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