I just purchased a 4 flow frame hybrid hive. I wanted to use the extra 4 frames to make honeycomb. However, I think in the kit they included normal frames when put together with foundation that need to be extracted. Can these be used to make honeycomb?
Yes. Just don’t wire them, and when you assemble them, put the starter strips into the groove in the underside of the top bar of the frames, using a little PVA glue. If you can’t find the starter strips, you can use ice lolly sticks, wood shims, craft sticks or thin paint stirrer sticks. Anything 1-2 mm deep and about 1-1.5 cm wide. Use several if they are not long enough to extend the length of the top bar.
1 Like
Dawn, you are so tedious, you even include advice on what to do in case he can’t identify the wooden strips that flow provides as starter strips.
I just love you.
Thomas, you are lucky already, good luck with your first hive. Get a feel, do the right thing and you can add another hive soon. Cheers from the Byron mountains.
1 Like
Thanks Dawn, that explains the 4 strips that come with the kit. I’ve seen on YouTube some rather complex systems of plastic grids with bees wax foundation starter trips to stimulate honeycomb as well.
1 Like
Thanks Byron mountains.
1 Like
Hmmmmm… I would prefer “meticulous”, but you are probably right, many people find me tedious!
Yes, that’s the word. Meticulous. I’m that too.
Why can’t they wire them if they wanted wired frames?
Can’t they just cut around the wire to get the honeycomb when they want to harvest it?
Not really. Most comb honey is a 4 x 4 inch block. Most wired foundation has wires about 2 inches apart. So unless you want to floss with wire, you can’t use wired wax for comb honey. 
2 Likes