Pre-cut plastic foundation to suit eight trifold frames from the Q8 Queen Mating Nuc.

For maximum strength and longevity.

These are sold as a set of 24 panels and are cut to suit the individual frame shapes. Eight of the panels have one corner cut off and are for the middle section of the frames. Stainless steel screws will come with the Q8 to attach the plastic foundation to the frames.

Fitting Instructions

To attach the plastic foundation to the frames, it is recommended to have a battery drill with torque settings, a No.1 square driver bit and a wood packer block that is approx. 190mm x 90mm x 20mm thick. Fit one panel at a time. Place the foundation panel against the frame face that doesn't have the 2 protrusions at the top. Then turn upside down and place over top of the wooden packer block and fit 4 screws through the 4 exposed screw holes in the frame. Use the battery drill to turn the self-tapping screw fast enough to cut a thread into the plastic foundation panel. Set the drill to the lowest torque setting and ensure the 4 screws are not overtightened. If they are overtightened they can distort the plastic foundation so it doesn't sit flat or it can strip the thread. The same procedure can be accomplished with a hand screwdriver if a battery drill is not available. See photo showing a frame with 3 panels of plastic foundation fitted correctly. The bees will soon cover the sharp screws with wax and fill in any small gap on the sides of the plastic foundation panels.

It is highly recommended to apply a thin layer of molten beeswax to the plastic foundation to encourage the bees to draw it out quicker. A slow cooker (as shown in the photo) is ideal to heat the wax safely to 80 degrees Celsius. Use two 75mm paint brushes with unpainted wooden handles to apply the wax. Use one brush till wax is used up or too cool then swap over to use the other brush so there is no down-time. The wax only needs to coat the tops of the plastic cells. It doesn't have to cover the bottoms of the cells. It is a good idea to be generous with the wax and coat the edge of the plastic frame as well.