Deciding what kind of foundation and frames to use in your hives is a place where too many options — and too many strong partisans for one type or another — can lead to decision paralysis. If your goal is to do the very best you can for your bees, it can seem like any choice will be the wrong one, at least in somebody’s opinion! The first thing to understand is that whenever there are many options, and many contradictory opinions, it’s likely that the bees will do okay no matter which choice you make.
The second thing is that frame and foundation choices, as central as these are to the workings of a colony, are not permanent decision points. Eventually, you will likely have all types in your hives because no single type is the best choice in all circumstances. As with most things in beekeeping, there is no one “best” solution for all — our guide will help you choose the frame and foundation options that work best for you.
Rev. Lorenzo L. Langstroth, 1810-1895 Photo credit The Book Worm, Alamy Stock Photo
A quick history of beekeeping methods
For thousands of years, humans kept bees in all manner of clay, straw, and wood containers. The bees were permitted to attach their free-form combs to the sides and tops of their hives. To harvest the honey, beekeepers had to largely destroy the colony.
Although many kinds of novel hive designs had been suggested, it was the Rev. Lorenzo L. Langstroth of Pennsylvania who studied bee behavior closely enough to discover that there was a small distance (about 5/16ths of an inch) that the bees would not fill with comb. The bees would invariably preserve this space, dubbed “bee space,” as open area between the combs in which to move around.
This insight led him to develop a frame design to hold combs exactly this distance apart. Notably, the frames were movable, and most importantly, removable from the hive allowing individual brood and honey frames to be withdrawn without harm.
He patented his idea in 1852, and for the first time, honey harvesting could be non-destructive and non-lethal to the colony. While we still call the box design he created Langstroth-style hives, it wasn’t the box that was revolutionary: It was the movable frames inside that were based on his discovery of “bee space” between the combs that changed everything.
Benefits of modern bee frame and foundation options
A movable frame system’s success depends on all the combs having uniform dimensions and form, retaining the critical bee space between them. Foundation offers the best chance that the combs the bees make will be straight, flat, and if managed well, of an even thickness. Misshapen comb makes it difficult to remove and replace the frames without harming bees.
Wooden frames have been used to support bees’ combs since Langstroth patented his idea, but frames may also be made of plastic. Regardless of frame material, in this style, foundation is mounted inside the frame to give the bees a flat substrate on which to draw out the wax of their combs.
Various materials have been used for foundation over the years, and the three main modern options are:
Thin sheets of cell-design embossed beeswax
Plastic foundation
All-in-one, plastic combination frame and foundation
Bees can do very well on each type — the main difference depends on how much work a beekeeper wants to do to assemble, then manage, the frame and foundation. Before choosing your frame and foundation type, consider the options to decide which is best for your hives.
Frames versus foundation
Frames and foundation are two different parts of a bee hive, though they are used in tandem. Frames are wooden or plastic rectangles that rest inside the hive to provide area for bees to build their comb. Foundation is a layer inside the frame where bees create wax cells (comb), and may be stamped or imprinted with a hexagonal pattern in different standardized sizes, which can affect the sizes of the comb the bees build out. You have different materials to choose from for both frames and foundation — and some beekeepers even prefer to use no foundation.
How to choose bee frames and foundation
First, let’s look at the easiest options: the all-in-one plastic combination frame and the fully assembled wood frames include foundations already mounted in place. Both are ready for use immediately, as is, though you may wish to add an extra coating of beeswax to encourage the bees to start drawing comb. You can even choose foundation with heavy wax for a ready-to-go option.
The other option is buying just the frames, either assembled or unassembled, and choosing which kind of foundation to use. If assembling your own frames, our frame assembly jig turns the task into an assembly line process, saving time and ensuring that each frame is square and straight. Unassembled frames are less expensive than assembled ones, so the extra cost of the jig will pay for itself quickly.
The foundation is the surface that the bees build on, so it needs to be stable and supportive. Depending on whether you plan to use wax or plastic foundation, the frame design is slightly different — meaning the frames are not interchangeable.
What foundation is best for bee hives?
This brings you to the next decision point: Should you use plastic, wax, or no foundation? To decide which is best for your hives, explore our recap of bee hive foundation types, then examine our comparison table to see the pros and cons of the wax, plastic, and foundationless options.
Wax foundation
Molded of beeswax in a traditional honeycomb pattern, wax foundation sheets are a natural foundation option that allows bees to build straight combs when installed into your frames. Wax foundation is usually wired and includes hooks for easy installation — or you may choose to embed your own wire. The vertical wire inside the foundation is meant to provide stability and strength.
Installing wax foundation is slightly more difficult than plastic foundation due to its fragile nature, but the process is easy:
Place the bottom of the wax foundation sheet into the groove along the bottom edge of the frame.
Align the foundation within the frame, then turn it so you can access the wire hooks.
Secure the foundation in the frame by sliding the frame wedge into place over the wire hooks.
Optional: You may choose to further secure the foundation sheet by using foundation pins in the holes at the sides of the frame, installing plastic rods, or cross-wiring with bee wire.
Plastic foundation
Similar to wax foundation, plastic foundation comes in sheets that feature a honeycomb pattern — but these are not made of natural beeswax. However, you may coat plastic foundation with beeswax to encourage your bees to build out comb faster.
Assembling frames for plastic foundation is similar to the method for wax foundation. Choose groove/groove frames so you have top and bottom slots for the foundation. Then, to install plastic foundation, simply slide the bottom of the foundation into the groove on the bottom of the frame, then gently press at the top of the foundation until it pops into the top groove. Give it a little jiggle inside the frame to ensure it’s properly seated — and that’s it!
Quick tip: Unlike for wax foundation installation, don’t break off the wedge section along the top of your frames! The foundation bends slightly to snap into place.
Foundationless combs
Going without any foundation is a popular option. After all, the bees are the experts at comb-making. But it is not without its challenges — particularly when starting out with no combs in a new hive. Even if your goal is to run foundationless frames, you can get a head start using some foundation to get an initial set of combs drawn, then insert foundationless frames between the drawn ones. With the drawn combs as guides, your bees will do a better job of making perfectly straight and even combs. Otherwise, you are committing to very close supervision to ensure your bees get their combs off to a good start.
When using foundationless combs, please note:
You may need to remove areas that have been drawn incorrectly, occasionally sacrificing brood in some sections.
Bees may also draw a larger proportion of drone cells.
Foundationless comb must be specially handled at first during inspections, too, until it is well-attached and hardened.
Comparing Foundation Types
Wax Foundation
Plastic foundation
No Foundation
Cost
Wax foundation is about 15% more expensive; plus the cost of wire and pins
Plastic foundation is less expensive than wax
Foundationless homemade frames or starter strips can be less expensive than plastic or wax
Ease of Installation
Careful installation required
Easy to snap in; you may wish to add an extra coat of wax
Simply install starter strip or wire; the bees do the rest
Bees’ Acceptance
Excellent
An extra coat of wax improves acceptance
Bees will draw comb only when they need to and sometimes frames will not be full
Management and Harvesting
If correctly wired, there are no common management or harvesting issues to note for wax foundation
Plastic foundation is very easy to manage and extract
Foundationless frames are very fragile at first; close attention required to ensure comb is drawn correctly
Recovery after mouse, moth or beetle damage
Wax frames damaged by pests are often a complete loss
You may be able to scrape, wash, and re-wax plastic frames to recover after pest damage
Bees may repair small problems caused by pests in foundationless frames; it may be necessary to discard comb and start over
When it comes to choosing foundation, there really are no wrong choices! If you prefer, you can use more than one type — even in the same hive or box. For more beekeeping tips and advice, explore our Beekeeper Guide.
Related resources for choosing and using foundation:
