Waxing My Own Foundation

[tbonekel]

I have about 20 or so pieces of foundation, most of which doesn't have any wax on them anymore. I would like to melt some of my own wax and re-do the foundation. I don't have enough wax to dip the whole panel so I'm going to have to brush or something. What is the best solution for this. What would happen to a regular paint brush? Or should I do something else?

[riverbee]

tbone, are you using unwaxed plastic foundation?  what foundation are you using?

[tbonekel]

This was once waxed, when I bought it. It isnt now. I think some of the foundation that I had in hives, the bees didnt like it and took the wax off. I know its pretty cheap to just go ahead and puchase new, but I have read about the possibility of the wax having other chemicals in it.

[rwlaw]

 Some people use a mini paint roller, foam brush, I take a cake and scrub it over the foundation, the warmer the better.
 I don't try to think about the contamination, I buy wax from Kelly Bees and from what they say it's wax from area sources and they test regularly. What I put on the foundation is a small amount and with bees being the indiscriminate foragers that they are, to me it's a moot point, but whatever floats your boat.

[pistolpete]

I load up regular waxed plastic foundation with more wax all the time.  I get a 3" foam brush, dip in hot wax and brush on the foundation in a couple of directions, till I get a rim of wax on each cell.  They re-shape this to draw out the first 1/2 of the cell walls and it really speeds things up.   You don't want to fill the cells, just add more to the rims.  Also the temperature of the was is important, you want it melted, but not too hot.

[Jen]

What Pete said, I think that's what I would do as well

[Lburou]

tbone, in my view, and limited by my visualization of what your foundation looks like, you may be better off in the long term to install new foundation.  The idea of foundation is to provide a template for the shape and spacing of cells, and to go along with the requirements of bee space.  If all you have remaining is plastic with no texture for the base of the cells, you are going to be surprised by irregular comb construction.  If you have texture, you might get away with adding wax.  I have heated water in a tall stock pot, then added wax.  Then you can dip the frame in the heated mixture (one end at at time) for a thin, even coating.

[riverbee]

"the bees didnt like it and took the wax off."

tbone, it's not that the bees 'didn't like it'. bees will strip any foundation and re purpose it somewhere else in the hive.
do as pete described, it works, or as tefer described, that works also.

[Ray]

I use a foam brush, the cheapest I can find.The problem with that is the glue used in production fails in hot wax. Tying the foam pad with just about anything works well. Rollers won't work for me.
Check you tube, I think there were some videos on re-waxing frames.
Temperature is the tricky part. I use a old crock pot, when the wax is completely melted it's too hot, so in goes more wax. Water might also work, to cool the wax.
Good Luck

[tbonekel]

Well, so far foundationless frames have worked the best for  me.  Its just that the bees have to start from nothing. But they always build exactly what the need/want. In will probably go ahead and stay with that. When there is a flow on, they draw it out really fast.

[Jen]

I want to go foundationless. The last time I posted a thread on foundationless, got quite a bit of negative... something about the bees will produce too many drones.

[tbonekel]

Had one hive produce what I thought was too many drones last year. I think they benefitted from the male population.  Plus seeing drone and worker cells on the same frame is really cool looking!

[rwlaw]

A hive over a certain number of bees (if I remember right 5 thousand maybe more) will draw drone cells on foundationless frames. Stick the same frame in a nuc and feed, you'll get worker cells because a start is only interested in expanding the brood nest with worker cells.

[Perry]

A very wise man (tec) made the comment that he suspected that bees would draw out comb on a piece of cardboard if a flow was on. Timing is everything.

[Lburou]

Temperature is the tricky part. I use a old crock pot, when the wax is completely melted it's too hot, so in goes more wax. Water might also work, to cool the wax.
Good Luck

Yes, temperature is crucial.  185 F, using an infrared thermometer, worked for me.  The wax cools quickly at that temperature.  Each to his own.  :-)