The following was a response I posted to Facebook (which I have edited to suit a blog post), regarding a question/statement which accused foundationless beekeepers of being “hippies.” This hopefully presents a bit of both sides of the argument, and allows people to understand why people go foundationless.

The concept of foundation was popularised by Dadant, Langstroth, et al. The concept was designed to make large scale commercial beekeeping simpler and quicker for honey production, and does not consider the biological requirements of the bee (Langstroth believed that the honeybee was created with the sole purpose to service humans). In fact, the foundation cell size was specifically designed to artificially create larger bees (with Apis Mellifera tending to revert to building comb closer to 4.9mm), capable of carrying more nectar, with little consideration for other ramifications this might have. Contrary to popular belief, you are not necessarily a “hippy” for not using foundation, there is growing consensus that allowing the bees to control their own cell size allows them to better control diseases. Be warned though, going foundationless can require some more attention (to prevent cross combing), and also requires your hive to be relatively level to the ground (as bees prefer to build comb whilst hanging, and therefore will follow gravity).

Pros for using foundation:

1. The bees use less wax (and thus honey) when drawing out comb, the quoted ratio varies between 4-8kgs of honey burned for 1kg of wax production.
2. The frames instantly have structural integrity which is unlikely to break.
3. The frames will also have added structural integrity when being used with commercial honey harvesting equipment (e.g. a centrifugal extractor).
4. If you subscribe to the philosophy that drones are bad, the uniform comb size generally artificially limits drone population.
5. The foundation generally limits the colony’s ability to cross comb and/or make comb in awkward positions (although it does not eliminate the possibility).
6. The foundation can coax swarms (etc) into bait hives, or encourage them to stay in empty hive boxes (although this can be replicated by using melted wax on guide rods or started strips).
7. Your hive does not have to be relatively level to the ground in order for the bees to create parallel and straight comb (although they probably should be level, so they don’t tip over as they grow).

Pros for not using foundation

1. The bees control their cell size, for the needs of their hive (as opposed to the needs of the beekeeper).
2. There are (unproven) health benefits to the colony, including the ability to control Varroa (which studies argue only works temporarily) and other brood based diseases.
3. The bees can better control their drone population as they see fit (as opposed to the arbitrary and honey-centric needs of the beekeeper).
4. The wax produced is going to be (relatively) artificial-chemical free (unless you add them yourself).
5. The bees will be better able to create Queen cells on the edges of the comb they make (if they need them).
6. The bees will often naturally incorporate tunnels (etc) into their comb structure, which assists movement and ventilation throughout the hive.

“Big, stupid, useless males.”

I am always frequently surprised by the reaction people have to drones. I think people are very quick to apply human characteristics to Bees, and the drones easily fill a “big stupid useless” person image we have ready in our mind. There is also an overused stereotype that drones being “typical males” just lounge around, letting the “women” feed them all day, and they only exist to “have sex” which is a series of traits often used to comical effect. Bees, surprisingly, are not humans. They do not possess concepts like sexism, laziness, etc. In fact, every bee in the colony has a dictated role, with subtleties and intricacies that we as humans may never truly understand. I would invite you to discard your human biases and stereotypes before analysing any type of bee.

What are drones?

Drones are technically the males on the species, believed to be named after the loud noise they make when flying. For the biologists playing at home, the drones are the result of an egg not being fertilised by the Queen, and are considered haploid (i.e. they have half of the genes/chromosomes of a worker or another queen). Drones are larger than a worker, and have much larger eyes than a worker (which are two easy ways to distinguish them). Drones are generally born from slightly larger cells than their female comrades (often called “drone comb”) which are visibly different to other brood when capped. They do not have a stinger (as the sting evolved from an egg laying device, which males did not possess), and therefore they cannot sting. Drones also cannot feed themselves, and it is thought that their large eyes are for tracking a Queen whilst she is in-flight. The drones will often be kicked out of a hive when resources are scarce, although there are exceptions to this rule.

Why are they important?

Drones are the only mechanism a Queen has to pass her genetic information on to future generations of her colony, as well as other potential colonies who may be nearby. Drones are the only inhabitants of a hive which possess solely the Queen’s DNA, and therefore should be treated as an extension of the Queen. There is also evidence that Drones contribute to the hive’s ability to thermoregulate, as they are almost always in the brood chamber, generating heat. Every drone that does not survive, limits the Queen’s chance of passing on her genes to the next Queen. Think of it as a Queen’s insurance policy: if something goes wrong and/or the Queen has to leave (or is killed), the next generation of Queen will be born of her genes and the dynasty alive Her drones may also wander into other hives, and mate with other Queens, which therefore insures that her dynasty may spread and combine with other gene pools. There is also emerging evidence that drone populations can promote genetic diversity, and which contributes to hive productivity.

Why do people hate drones?

It is simple really: drones don’t make honey. In fact, looking at a beehive purely as a honey making machine, drones are a totally unnecessary part of the machine, guzzling precious honey for no real benefit. It also gives foundation producers and sellers a great tagline for their product, which (in theory) limit drone populations. Unfortunately in the real world, bee colonies are not purely honey making machines, and the fact that people have the audacity to think that they know how many drones should be in a hive is beyond me. We don’t dictate how many nurse bees a hive has, nor do we dictate the number of foragers, why do people insist on artificially limiting drones?

Even if you aren’t actively trying to limit drones in your hive, if you are using foundation, you are likely artificially limiting your drone population, as you are making it difficult for the workers to properly raise drones in a restricted cell size.Remember, foundation was originally designed for major honey producers, who had a vested interest in limiting drone numbers to make their honey making machines more efficient (again, in theory). Unfortunately this mentality has been passed on to those in the hobby and smaller scale beekeeping world, and other points of view are rarely offered to those starting out.