Installing Wax Foundation in Frames

Nothing lasts forever and that certainly applies to wax foundation. The time will likely come when you need to learn how to install beeswax foundation in wooden frames. While it may seem a bit overwhelming at first, it is really not that difficult.

Every beekeeper must learn how to move and manipulate frames. Frames and foundation are some of the essential beekeeping equipment that you will work with throughout your years of managing hives.

Adding New Foundation to Your Bee Frames

The actual parts included will depend somewhat on the type of beehive that you choose to use in your apiary.

Frames can be made of plastic or wood and come in various sizes to fit the different heights of the hive boxes. Removeable frames make it possible to remove comb for when you inspect a beehive – without destroying it.

It is most common for beekeepers to use a piece of beehive foundation (beeswax or plastic) inside frames. This encourages bees to build straight comb inside the wooden structure.

Usually, the sheets of wax foundation contain small wires for support. In years past, beekeepers had to “wire their frames” – today wire already embedded is the norm.

In recent years, the use of plastic foundation has become more popular. It is available in several colors including: black, white and yellow.

Beekeepers can argue all day over which type of foundation is best, which color is best or even if you should use any foundation at all.

I’ll leave that argument to them – I personally prefer regular beeswax foundation. That is what this post is about. But, that does not mean that you can not be successful with other methods.

Replacing Old Wax Foundation with New

1. Remove wooden “wedge” from the top bar. It fits under the top bar and is held in place with small nails or staples.

Don’t throw it away and try not to break it – but if you do – don’t panic. You can still reuse the parts of the wedge when installing your new beeswax foundation.

Of course if your frames are new – you won’t have a wedge nailed in place. However, you may see it loosely attached to the frame. If so, use your tool to break it loose and clean off any small bits of wood left on the frame.

When the wedge is loose, you will still have a little wax left to remove from the frame. But first, use your hive tool to scrape the old comb from the wedge bar. Sometimes it comes off in a big sheet – which it really cool to see.

2. Now is a good time to clean any wax and propolis off all parts of the wooden frame. This will make replacement so much easier.

What to do with the old wax? You may be tempted to try harvesting usable wax from this old comb.  This could be accomplished by using a DIY solar wax melter or melting the comb in a pot with added water to clean the beeswax.

Be advised that it will REALLY smell bad during the processing phase. Personally, I don’t think old comb is worth the effort. 

It is a very messy job and sometimes the wax harvested is dark and unattractive. But you may want to experience it – at least once. LOL

3. It is important to pay special attention to the bottom bar of your frame. If you have a “split bottom bar”, it is easy to clean away any debris with your hive tool.

If your beehive has a “grooved bottom bar” that is solid with a small groove, cleaning will require a bit more effort. 

Use a hook or screwdriver to clean out the groove well. Failure to clean the bottom bar may cause your new beeswax foundation to not fit properly.

4. When I install beeswax foundation, I flip my frame upside down. Why? 

Today most wax sheets of foundation are reinforced with embedded wires. Small wire hooks are at the top of the sheet. The wedge bar is used to fasten the hooks to the top bar.

Be sure that the wire hooks are laying firmly against the top bar. Then, you can attach the wedge bar to the underside of the top bar with a staple gun or small nails. The wire hooks will be “wedged” in between the 2 pieces of wood.

5. Now, we want to gently push the bottom of the sheet into the bottom bar. This can be a bit frustrating so take your time and don’t give up. 

I use my hive tool to push the little wires into the bottom bar slot. If it breaks a bit – no worries – just so the sheet hangs straight in the frame.

You may have a bottom bar that is grooved, split or two separate pieces. Grooved bottom bars are traditionally used with plastic foundation because it pops in. But you still need to clean away any old wax.

Why Foundation Should Be Replaced

Beeswax is made by honey bees using special glands. This wax is used to build honey comb. Inside the hive, sheets of wax contain thousands of individual cells. They are used by the colony for food storage and brood rearing.

This wax is an absorbent structure. It absorbs many substances inside the hive. Bee propolis, honey and pollen stored in honeycomb cells causes staining of the wax.

Fresh beeswax will be white but it becomes darker quickly. After several years, the wax honeycomb may become almost black.

Some chemicals brought into the hive from the outside world will be absorbed in the wax too. This is not a good thing.

Even we beekeepers contribute to the contamination by the use of various products for varroa mite control.

For these reasons, it is good beehive management to replace the old beeswax comb periodically. 

Experts disagree on optimal comb replacement schedule but every 5 years is a good rule of thumb. If you use wax foundation, this means installing new beeswax foundation in your frames.

For those using plastic foundation, you need to scrape the old wax off the plastic sheets and allow the bees to build new comb. It is quicker than dealing with sheet installation – but a nasty job.

Many beekeepers enjoy assembling their own frames for their hives, this helps ensure a good job is done! While doing foundation replacement, this is a good time to make sure the joints of your bee frames are good and tight.

Expert Tips

The goal is to install the beeswax foundation so that it hangs straight. The top is secured using the hooks and wedge bar. The bottom of the foundation is held in place by the split bottom bar – or it fits down into a groove.

Due to the differences in manufacturing, you will occasionally get sheets of wax foundation that is just a bit too long to fit well inside your frame.

No problem, use a box cutter or scissors to nip off just enough of the wax and wire for the foundation to fit properly.

Vertical “cross wiring” was once popular but it is not used as much today. As the bees “draw comb” and build up wax on the sheet, it will become more sturdily attached to the wood frame.

If the sheets of foundation do not hang straight, you may have crooked comb in the hive. If after several attempts you are still having trouble with the sheet wanting to curve.

Use bobby pins, small nails, or commercially available support pins in the side bars. Installing beeswax foundation is time consuming. However, it is not an activity that has to be repeated every year.

New Foundation in Brood Frames

Old brood frames can hold some really gross looking honeycomb. And, as generations of brood (baby honey bees) emerge, they leave behind pupal cocoons.

These cocoons reduce the size of the honeycomb cells as time goes by. This makes for a very unhealthy environment for developing bees.

Perhaps some pests, such as wax moths, have damaged parts of the comb. Do you see any webbing? This is a sign of wax moth infestation. 

Small Hive Beetles are also attracted to old brood combs that have contained pollen. The colony will repair minor holes and tears but they can’t remove contamination.

In fact, the worst issue with old comb is the tendency to absorb chemical compounds from the environment and hive management. Let’s get that gnarly comb out of there and reuse the wooden frames.

Final Thoughts

Take your time, enjoy the process, you are working for your bees to give them the best possible chance of survival. Having new wax foundation in the hive promotes better hive health and makes the job of caring for them easier for you too.