The USDA helped Pierco with the mold for this new hard plastic, beeswax coated frame for use as an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technique for combating the Varroa Mites. The Pierco Drone Frame is brightly colored green so it is easily identified when looking in the hive. For best results, be sure that a majority of the cells are capped. You should place your Pierco Drone Frame near the center of the brood nest (2-4 position). By doing this, the bees will accept the frame and build beautiful comb more quickly than if it were in the first position against the wall of the hive body. Bees instinctually want to build about 10% drone comb. By using this frame, you can better control where that comb is built. This reduces their tendency of converting the smaller celled worker foundation to drone comb.

You should have two for each hive so you can rotate frames. Simply pull the drone frame with capped cells and freeze it to kill the drone pupae and mites in the comb, while replacing it with your second drone frame for the cycle to continue within your hive. After freezing the frame you don’t even have to clean it off. The honey bees will take to it and clean out the dead pupae and mites. An alternative method, for those with limited freezer space, is to simply scrape the capped drone cells off the frame and let the bees rebuild the comb.