This is a test, this is only a test… plastic or real wax foundation?

 

 

 

Before we added the supers! How we set up. Each hive got 1 gallon of sugar syrup in a frame feeder.

 

Will honey bee colonies that are progressing through fall build up, during honey flow (in Central TX), show a preference for heavily waxed plastic foundation or real beeswax foundation in their super? We have equalized the colonies, all have received their normal 2-strip dose of Hopguard II, we are feeding sugar syrup and gave each colony 1/4 of a protein patty. They are bringing in pollen and nectar already, too.
We are trying to build them up STRONG and FAST! We want large strong colonies going into winter and then we hope to have bigger stronger colonies as Spring comes in 2018. We will update you here! 🙂 Ten colonies got plastic and 10 colonies got real wax. All in the same yard, all of approximately equal strength, seated on pallets of 4 hives per pallet. 20 hives total in study.

 

 

 

After adding the supers. Pink is plastic! Each pallet has 2 of each.