Beehive frames and foundation

How to choose beehive frames and foundation

Beehive frames and foundation are the parts your bees build comb on, and they are the parts you will buy most often after the first year. A frame is the wooden or plastic rectangle; foundation is the sheet inside it, embossed with a cell pattern so bees build straight comb. This category also covers the parts around the frames: queen excluders, inner and migratory covers, slatted racks and solid or screened bottom boards.

Everything here assumes a Langstroth hive. Top bar and Warré hives use bars, not frames; see hives and kits for those.

Frame sizes and specs explained

Source: Hive & Frame catalogue (maker and seller listings)

• Assembled or unassembled: unassembled frames are cheaper per frame but need glue and nails or staples. Mann Lake WW906 and WW907 ship assembled.
• Count: packs range from 1 to 20 frames; foundation from 10 to 100 sheets. A 10-frame deep needs 10.
• Color: black foundation makes eggs easier to see; yellow or natural shows larvae and capped brood.
• Excluders: plastic, plated metal or metal-bound. Match 8- or 10-frame width.

Wax or plastic foundation?

Pure beeswax sheets (Goodland, Anu Limen, Varybeaty) are what many bees accept fastest, but they sag in heat and can break in an extractor without wiring. Plastic foundation coated in beeswax (Mann Lake Rite-Cell, BeeCastle, POLLIBEE, HiveSweet) is rigid and reusable. Rite-Cell is listed as beeswax-coated plastic, not pure wax, so read the material line. One-piece plastic frames (Benefitbee) skip assembly entirely. Our plastic vs wax foundation comparison goes through acceptance, extraction and cost of ownership.

Who needs what

• First hive: a kit usually includes frames. Buy one spare box of frames for each hive so you can add space quickly; see your first hive.
• Honey sellers: commercial packs such as 20-frame Rite-Cell or 100-sheet foundation lower the work per box; see selling honey.
• Mite monitoring: a screened bottom board with a tray lets you do sticky-board counts, but HBHC recommends an alcohol wash for decisions; see bee health.

Mistakes to avoid

• Mixing deep and medium frames in one box. They do not fit, and bees fill the gap with burr comb.
• Leaving gaps. Keep the box full of frames so bee space stays correct.
• Ordering an 8-frame excluder or cover for a 10-frame hive. Check width on every part.
• Reusing old dark comb from an unknown source. If you suspect brood disease, see hive problems and contact your state apiarist before moving equipment.