We recommend you start beekeeping with foundation in Langstroth hives. Foundationless frames are more likely to lead to cross-combing or other issues you may need to fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you gain more beekeeping experience and comfort working with bees, you may want to try foundationless beekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article discusses foundationless frames in detail to help guide you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Are Foundationless Frames?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless frames are standard Langstroth frames without any added plastic or beeswax foundation. While many, probably most, beekeepers use foundation, its use is not required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some other beekeeping hives (Warr\u00e9 and Top Bar) do not use frames or foundation. Instead, they use bars with a beveled edge for the bees to begin comb building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See our article Beehive Frames And Foundation (A Beginner\u2019s Guide)<\/strong><\/a> for a detailed discussion about various frame formats and types of foundation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Making Foundationless Frames<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Despite the lack of plastic or beeswax sheets, making foundationless frames requires a little effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless Frame Components<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Grooved top bar,<\/li>
- Side bars with holes for deep frames,<\/li>
- Side bars with holes for medium frames which will be in a centrifugal extractor,<\/li>
- Side bars without holes (optional) for frames not centrifugally extracted,<\/li>
- A starter strip glued into the top bar groove,<\/li>
- Grooved bottom bar.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Starter Strips For Foundationless Frames<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bees build comb vertically, usually from the top down. While they may attach comb to a flat top bar, a starter strip works better for foundationless frames. The starter strip mimics the beveled edge used in top bar hive beekeeping and serves as a comb guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starter strips about \u00bc\u201d \u2013 \u00bd\u201d wide can be wood or a piece of foundation glued into the top bar groove. (Optionally, make strips more secure with some tacks as we do.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common wood starter strips are popsicle sticks or tongue depressors. We use paint stirrers cut in half lengthwise as they are longer than those other options. (We may use a whole stirrer on deep frames providing a wider strip for attachment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some beekeepers recommend waxing a wood starter strip. We have never done that, and the bees seem to accept it as is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of wood, a strip of plastic or wax foundation works well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alternatively, cut the drawn comb out of an old foundationless frame except for a few rows at the top to effectively make wax starter strips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do Foundationless Frames Need Wire?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless combs are very fragile before they are attached to at least three sides of the frame. <\/strong>Unattached wax easily falls out of a rotating frame, particularly on a hot day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deep foundationless brood frames represent a considerable risk due to their weight so they should be wired.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: <\/strong>When inspecting foundationless frames, rotate only side to side (not top to bottom) unless the wax is securely attached to the frame. Carelessly flipping frame may cause combs to fall out.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Wired foundationless frames provide multiple attachment points as bees build comb downward, making the wax more secure. Thus, foundationless brood frames are safer to manipulate when wired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The need for wire is why we recommend side bars with holes for deep foundationless frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Medium and shallow foundationless frames carry much less wax weight than deep frames. Therefore, these combs should attach to multiple locations with less area to cover quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can always cut out comb honey or extract liquid without an extractor by crush and strain methods. However, if you plan on extracting honey from foundationless frames mechanically, wire lowers the chance of wax blowing out of the frame from the centrifugal force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Use Foundationless Frames? Pros And Cons Of Foundationless Beekeeping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Whether or not to use foundation is a source of disagreement among some beekeepers. Weigh the pros and cons of going without foundation in deciding if foundationless beekeeping for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Advantages Of Foundationless Frames<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless Frames Are More Natural<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Foundation artificially determines cell sizes which may affect the size of the bees in your hive.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without foundation, bees build comb and determine cell sizes naturally; the bees decide where in the hive to put drone brood, worker brood, and honey.[2]<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless Lowers The Cost Of Beekeeping<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Foundation costs add up as you expand your apiary. Foundationless frames can lower the cost of beekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of this writing, the average foundation cost is around $1.60 per sheet. So for a 10-frame, 5-box Langstroth hive (2 deep plus 3 honey supers), foundation will cost about $80 (50 frames x $1.60).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While foundation can last several years (particularly plastic foundation), it needs periodic replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Varroa Mite Control?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless beekeeping is perceived to lower mite populations. [2]<\/a> With bees making smaller, natural cell sizes, varroa may not reproduce as effectively as they do in larger cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there is evidence that drone populations are more prominent in foundationless hives. Drone-sized cells may encourage varroa mite growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The science of controlling mites with smaller cell sizes seems unsettled. However, you can try it and see if it works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comb Honey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Foundationless frames without wires make comb honey easy to extract from a hive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Harvesting](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/i0ze5IEFXsI\/0.jpg\")
![\"Fixing](\"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Bees-foundationless-drawn-comb.jpg\")
![\"Bees](\"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Bees-drawing-comb-on-foundationless-frame-1024x576.jpg\")
![\"Changing](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NoPe-TBL0Qc\/0.jpg\")