Joe, Indiana has it all with you there! Please KEEP these info videos coming as this is priceless information for those of us starting out! Sign Me: REALLY Appreciative from the Boonies
1st year keeper. I tried strips, wired foundation and plastic foundation. The bees will chew the wax off of about half of the plastic and build off of the plastic about 3/8 of an inch… they sure do use the strip first! 👍👍👍🐝🐝
Thanks for the great information! I too wished I had know this last spring. I'm a soon to be second year beek and will definitely use this information as I'm planning on building my hive base up. This will likely save me money and time, and the bees will obviously do better by using this method. Thanks again!
In the spring, my bees can draw out a deep frame in 2-3 days when using a '' starter strip''. My starter strips are not really starter strips most at a time. When I cut my old foundation out, I leave the top 1/2 inch or so of the old combs and the bees will start right away to built on it. I may use a starter strip next spring to see.
How are you creating your plastic foundation starter strips ? Cutting for me seems to be quite time consuming , any tips or tricks ? And how are you securing the strip in the groove ? Thanks Kameron (Fl)
Joe this was a great discussion. You are asking for ideas for a video lesson session. Why not do a 4 week video next year on what you just discussed. It would show everyone the way the girls work when it comes to wax foundation fully drawn vs plastic foundation vs starter strip. Just a suggestion. I was reading the comments below and thought sometimes seeing is believing for people. Great video, love your work!!
HI, Joe, I new at beekeeping and need to know when the queen starts making drones and queen cells , in spring, I wont to make splits early next year I in south Arkansas, I now they start selling bees boxes in nucs on April 22 every year, but have no idea when they start making the nucs up, thank for all your videos they have been a big help, my bees would have made it last year without you, THINGS
they may not be making splits they maybe making nucs from packages. You have to have drones flying not just in the boxes. A drone won't fly for about 20 days after it hatches.
Tremendous video! I like the comparative method you use to explain the differences and advantages/disadvantages of wax foundation, plastic foundation, and starter strips. Very enlightening! I fully intend to use starter strips and fish line this year. Can I use 3/4 inch slices of waxed plastic foundation as starter strips?
Thx just what I needed to watch. I never like the wax or plastic foundation. I just bought 4 pcs od wax fandation and am planning to cut them on pices and use them as starter strips. hope my bees will like it? any tip how to secure them not to fall of? I have watched videos but my frames dosnt have a peace of wood that you can break it off and with that peace to secure the wax starter strip. thanks in advanced
I make my own frames cut down the middle of the to bar with table saw and cut thin strips of wood on table saw glue them in the cut i made in the bottom of the top bar for a start strip wokes good.
Thank you for all of your educational videos! I used starter strips this last season and ran across a couple of issues. One was cross comb and the other was the girls produced quite a bit of drone comb. Any suggestions on if and how those issues can be managed? Thanks again for all of your excellent videos.
If you use fishing line in the frames and and try to put the starter strips in between two drawn frames it will take care of the cross comb. If you are putting the starter strips in the middle of the brood box they should not make drone comb. If they make a lot of drone comb usually that means they are getting ready to swarm or the queen is failing. I only use starter strips only had one frame drawn out cross comb that's out of about 3000 frames. The fishing line stops 95% of cross comb.
Am I understand you correctly? You do not use full sheets of wax foundation, only starter strips. What then is the purpose of the fishing line? Is it to support the comb as it is built, and also strengthen it for spinning out the honey? I had thought the wire, or fishing line or whatever is for support of the wax foundation sheet alone. And about how thick are your wax sheets. Finally, Tim Rowe at Way Out West, A Blow-in Blog has a wax sheet video. Yours release more easily from the oak. Thank you. (Four month beekeeper...)
Yes it helps support the comb as a whole. Without it the comb is more likely swing side to side outside of the frame body which endangers it of breaking off.
This has worked great for me in brood chambers or between capped honey but every time I put them between nectar frames they just build the comb extra wide and ignore the starter strip. Any way around that?
They some times make it wider right at the top. Just keep your frames pinched tight together if they make it to wide at the top take a knife and trim it flush with frame.
hi is there a recipe for making homemade dry pollen substitute to build brood up in spring for new beekeepers, people with one or two hives and not much money,
I only use mannlake 902 frames with cleat. If you have slotted frames you can take a paint brush and dip it in hot wax and wax them in( major pain in the butt).
Hi Joe, I've been using starter strips for years now. I make my own frames and cut a scarf under the top bar. After cutting a bunch of 3/4"strips, I heat up a pot of wax and pour it along the strip. This fills the scarf and holds the strips better than jamming them with a stapled strip of wood. The trick, I found was to put some water in the sink and do your pouring over. Any drips float on the water and can be easily picked up and put back in the pot. However lately I've graduated to cuting my top bars with a built-in wedge. Then no need for wax at all!
I staggered mine and they built comb in-between and what was in foundation was actually separated comb from the foundation. :( Help. And the queen had laid in the wonky comb. What do I do now?
It is best if the starter strip are put between drawn comb not foundation. The frames she laid in put it above a queen excluder and let it hatch out then clean it up.
@@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay thank you so much. I've been really discouraged with it. The broods not capped, but when they do I will. They've been in there 9 days. It's a small swarm seems like, bees are only 2-3:frames. Can I shake some bees in there?
@@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay I did pull two foundation frames and recoatedv them with thicker wax coat. You can still see cells, but now the rims are coated with my own wax.
Joe, if I am putting on a honey super and don't have any drawn medium comb, is it ok just to put all starter strips, or do I need to do something else?
Waaaah,30.000 views and no one has said *Thanks. I will!! Thank you for this answer to my long-asked question!!
Joe,
Indiana has it all with you there! Please KEEP these info videos coming as this is priceless information for those of us starting out!
Sign Me: REALLY Appreciative from the Boonies
I try to pass on what little I know. When you think you have the bee fingered out they will show you different.
Thanks for the video. I've wondered if they liked the plastic or not. Sounds like I'll be going with starter strips from now on!
I think the primal nature of festooning is the key, to Anthropomorphize, they like to do it thier way.
Drawing on manmade foundation is likened to us having to convert to metric units when we have built in Imperial units.
@@HavanaWoody I like the idea of the starter strips. Gives them a start and they just do their thing from there.
1st year keeper. I tried strips, wired foundation and plastic foundation. The bees will chew the wax off of about half of the plastic and build off of the plastic about 3/8 of an inch… they sure do use the strip first! 👍👍👍🐝🐝
Thanks for the great information! I too wished I had know this last spring. I'm a soon to be second year beek and will definitely use this information as I'm planning on building my hive base up. This will likely save me money and time, and the bees will obviously do better by using this method. Thanks again!
Thanks again Joe, I wish I had information last spring but will definitely use this spring thanks again keep them coming
Hey there skinny bee man haha. Great video as always
In the spring, my bees can draw out a deep frame in 2-3 days when using a '' starter strip''.
My starter strips are not really starter strips most at a time. When I cut my old foundation out, I leave the top 1/2 inch or so of the old combs and the bees will start right away to built on it.
I may use a starter strip next spring to see.
Great video Joe i would like to see a video on your hive top feeders be safe and have a blessed day!
They are just fat bee man style feeder. you can get the plans from dixie bee supply.
How are you creating your plastic foundation starter strips ? Cutting for me seems to be quite time consuming , any tips or tricks ? And how are you securing the strip in the groove ? Thanks Kameron (Fl)
Joe this was a great discussion. You are asking for ideas for a video lesson session. Why not do a 4 week video next year on what you just discussed. It would show everyone the way the girls work when it comes to wax foundation fully drawn vs plastic foundation vs starter strip. Just a suggestion. I was reading the comments below and thought sometimes seeing is believing for people. Great video, love your work!!
Thank you I will do that.
HI, Joe, I new at beekeeping and need to know when the queen starts making drones and queen cells , in spring, I wont to make splits early next year I in south Arkansas, I now they start selling bees boxes in nucs on April 22 every year, but have no idea when they start making the nucs up, thank for all your videos they have been a big help, my bees would have made it last year without you, THINGS
they may not be making splits they maybe making nucs from packages. You have to have drones flying not just in the boxes. A drone won't fly for about 20 days after it hatches.
So you recommend starter stips. But put one whole wax fountainion sheet
Tremendous video! I like the comparative method you use to explain the differences and advantages/disadvantages of wax foundation, plastic foundation, and starter strips. Very enlightening! I fully intend to use starter strips and fish line this year. Can I use 3/4 inch slices of waxed plastic foundation as starter strips?
That is what I us 3/4
Done test today,used wax foundation cut in 7 strips and fit them in frames as starter. Hope they like it
Thx just what I needed to watch.
I never like the wax or plastic foundation. I just bought 4 pcs od wax fandation and am planning to cut them on pices and use them as starter strips. hope my bees will like it?
any tip how to secure them not to fall of? I have watched videos but my frames dosnt have a peace of wood that you can break it off and with that peace to secure the wax starter strip.
thanks in advanced
I make my own frames cut down the middle of the to bar with table saw and cut thin strips of wood on table saw glue them in the cut i made in the bottom of the top bar for a start strip wokes good.
Great video
Thank you for all of your educational videos! I used starter strips this last season and ran across a couple of issues. One was cross comb and the other was the girls produced quite a bit of drone comb. Any suggestions on if and how those issues can be managed? Thanks again for all of your excellent videos.
If you use fishing line in the frames and and try to put the starter strips in between two drawn frames it will take care of the cross comb. If you are putting the starter strips in the middle of the brood box they should not make drone comb. If they make a lot of drone comb usually that means they are getting ready to swarm or the queen is failing. I only use starter strips only had one frame drawn out cross comb that's out of about 3000 frames. The fishing line stops 95% of cross comb.
You help me a lot man. Thank you.
Welcome
Am I understand you correctly? You do not use full sheets of wax foundation, only starter strips. What then is the purpose of the fishing line? Is it to support the comb as it is built, and also strengthen it for spinning out the honey? I had thought the wire, or fishing line or whatever is for support of the wax foundation sheet alone. And about how thick are your wax sheets. Finally, Tim Rowe at Way Out West, A Blow-in Blog has a wax sheet video. Yours release more easily from the oak. Thank you. (Four month beekeeper...)
That will make the comb solid
Yes it helps support the comb as a whole. Without it the comb is more likely swing side to side outside of the frame body which endangers it of breaking off.
This has worked great for me in brood chambers or between capped honey but every time I put them between nectar frames they just build the comb extra wide and ignore the starter strip. Any way around that?
They some times make it wider right at the top. Just keep your frames pinched tight together if they make it to wide at the top take a knife and trim it flush with frame.
hi is there a recipe for making homemade dry pollen substitute to build brood up in spring for new beekeepers, people with one or two hives and not much money,
I don't have any but they are a lot of them on the internet.
I am sorry 1 more question for u how do u get your starter strips to stay put thanks
I only use mannlake 902 frames with cleat. If you have slotted frames you can take a paint brush and dip it in hot wax and wax them in( major pain in the butt).
Hi Joe, I've been using starter strips for years now. I make my own frames and cut a scarf under the top bar. After cutting a bunch of 3/4"strips, I heat up a pot of wax and pour it along the strip. This fills the scarf and holds the strips better than jamming them with a stapled strip of wood. The trick, I found was to put some water in the sink and do your pouring over. Any drips float on the water and can be easily picked up and put back in the pot. However lately I've graduated to cuting my top bars with a built-in wedge. Then no need for wax at all!
a paint rush dipped in hot wax then run along the starter strip works well also.
First year for me....what do you do with nucs?...I'm getting them in May...thanks
I staggered mine and they built comb in-between and what was in foundation was actually separated comb from the foundation. :( Help.
And the queen had laid in the wonky comb. What do I do now?
It is best if the starter strip are put between drawn comb not foundation. The frames she laid in put it above a queen excluder and let it hatch out then clean it up.
@@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay thank you so much. I've been really discouraged with it. The broods not capped, but when they do I will. They've been in there 9 days. It's a small swarm seems like, bees are only 2-3:frames. Can I shake some bees in there?
@@LittleBitsHoneyBeesjoemay I did pull two foundation frames and recoatedv them with thicker wax coat. You can still see cells, but now the rims are coated with my own wax.
@@mj-ls7qr8xp3n No they will kill the queen unless you cage her.
Ha do u wire or fish line your frames Enjoy your videos thanks
Fishing line.
Joe, if I am putting on a honey super and don't have any drawn medium comb, is it ok just to put all starter strips, or do I need to do something else?
some times when you use all starter strips they will cross comb the frames. Try it when they get two drawn out put a starter strip between them.
Oops..."understanding".
Is this based on an actual experiment?
This is how I do it all the time it works.