Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

ocba - Re: [ocba] pesticides in beeswax

ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Catherine Adamson <cadamson AT alumni.unc.edu>
  • To: Jeff Bollinger <jeff.bollinger AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: Orange County Bees <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] pesticides in beeswax
  • Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2012 13:09:12 -0400

Jeff, Betsy, and folks,

I use all foundationless frames and so far have not have any trouble getting the bees to draw them out straight.  Until the bees connect the wax to the frame on all sides, one does have to be a little more careful, especially during hot weather, to not turn new combs parallel to the ground (the direction in which it is weakest).  But after a little time to harden the comb is every bit as sturdy as foundation.

My reasons for starting with foundationless were nothing to do with chemical contamination and more with price (I'm stingy with bee equipment and buying foundation just seemed like an unnecessary expense).  Certainly foundationless does avoid any contamination in the wax used to produce foundation, but I don't think that is much to start with, as foundation is made from cappings wax which is quite clean.  Your own use of treatments in the hive, or what the bees bring in when foraging, is much more likely to impact the cleanliness of your comb than foundation is.

But my naive thinking when I was a newbeek that "if the bees can draw it, why should I buy a substitute", has held true for me.  The bees can draw out foundationless as quickly and nicely as they would draw foundation.  I caught a big swarm on Wednesday, and yesterday found those girls had produced 5 full deep frames of new comb and were loading up with eggs and stores!

I would say that unless you are planning to produce honey on a large scale (and so had to really worry about the occasional comb blowout in the extractor, or the tiny increase in honey consumption to build the comb midrib), you need not use foundation.

-Catherine

On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 12:21 PM, Jeff Bollinger <jeff.bollinger AT gmail.com> wrote:

Betsy you may find this interesting:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm

I'm planning to experiment with "foundationless" frames soon.  Seems
like a pretty cool idea with a lot of collateral benefits, and you could
always use virgin wax (from cappings) to ensure you have no residual
pesticide.  I've not had good success with the plastic frames in the
past although I know many others who have.

Not to get crazy but I wonder about the CNG cert and using plastic
frames.  I really doubt it has an appreciable impact to any hive
products/bee-health but there's lots of noise around bisphenol-A,
dioxins, and phthalates in plastics - I guess the CNG requirements have
to draw the line somewhere.

Jeff

On 4/7/12 2:05 PM, Marty Hanks wrote:
> Great question Betsy,
>
> I would defer to Annallys to see if she had found Buddy's email yet. He
> spoke of this at the CNG meeting, but i do not recall which lab was
> doing the testing.Hopefully she tracked it down.
>
> I would be very interested in how Jack would know who was doing the
> testing...having such a definitive all is clear is new to me. but thats
> a good place to start. Cindy has been of great help to me when i stop in
> for stuff.
> let me know his sourse as i have been meaning to get in touch w/ Buddy.
> tks,
> marty
> On Sat, Apr 7, 2012 at 9:28 AM, Betsy Kempter <betsykempter AT gmail.com
> <mailto:betsykempter AT gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Hello,
>
>     I am wondering if anyone can point me to resources for understanding
>     pesticide residues in foundation and beeswax. I have heard about the
>     potential of pesticide residues in foundation to affect bees, hence
>     CNG's move toward using plastic frames with one's own beeswax
>     painted on. When I stopped by Busy Bee to look at super frame
>     inserts, I was glad to see they had plastic ones. However, they
>     seemed to be pre-coated with wax. When I mentioned this concern
>     about pesticides in foundation, Jack assured me that all the wax
>     coming through the shop is tested for pesticides. The plastic is
>     used over wax foundation solely for rigidity. So I am wondering how
>     they might test the wax? Who does the testing? Would such testing
>     pick up residues? At what levels?
>
>     Thanks!
>     ~Betsy
>
>     _________________________________________
>     ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/
>     Manage Your Subscription:
>     http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/
>
>
>
>
> --
> Marty Hanks
> Just Bee, Apiaries
>
>  Home of the Orange County Honey Project.
> "Created by Artisans....Bottled by Humans"
>
>
>
> _________________________________________
> ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/
> Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/

_________________________________________
ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/
Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page