# Converting frames to foundationless



## cityfeet (Feb 1, 2015)

Does anyone see problems with me taking frames of dark comb and stripping all but 6 or 8 rows of cells and using them as foundationless? Would the bees likely build from there?


----------



## ed/La (Feb 26, 2009)

That is what I do. Works fine


----------



## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

I cut all the comb out ( I went to Wal-Mart got a pack of wide popsicle craft sticks ) diped a stick edge in bees wax ,, put it in the foundation slit then put it in the hive the girls had combed in a short time


----------



## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

We haven't used any foundation for many years. Using the same principle as Tom j, I cut a small strip of wood and glue it in the foundation groove. Then rub some beeswax on it. They take right off from there.
As well as being untidy, its probably alot of extra work to leave a few drawn out cells along the top. Just pull it all out and let them start over. You will want to make sure you are wiring the frames if you are planning to use a centrifuge to extract from the frame. The other thing is that having a level hive box is more critical. If not you will get alot of cross comb because bees naturally draw out using the gravitational line.
Its said that if you let bees make their own cells, the pattern will be a slightly smaller. The resulting bees coming out of those cells will emerge a day or two earlier. This in turn throws off the reproductive cycle of the varroa destructo to where they don't get attached to the emerging bee. It also activates a hygienic response. The varroa are killed and disposed of when the cell is cleaned by the bee.


----------



## cityfeet (Feb 1, 2015)

Interesting...though I thought I heard this allows the cells to be bigger because normal foundation isn't big enough for many drones. I'm not worried about wiring the frames because I'd be doing this for the brood frames. My honey supers I'd think I can keep the cell size at the present size because it wouldn't be as important


----------

