Thingiverse
Third Comb - 3D Printable Comb for Langstroth Frames by JoeTisch
by Thingiverse
Last crawled date: 4 years, 1 month ago
Third Comb is 3D printable honeycomb for bees. It is intended for installation into Langstroth frames with a grooved top and bottom. These models have been designed specifically to fit in Mann Lake's groove top and bottom frames. Each frame will require 3 of the printed combs for completion.
I will be testing these combs in my apiary in the spring of 2018. I assume that the acceptance rate will be on par with that of HoneySuperCell frames and other plastic foundations when the bees are given no other options. I will be applying a light coating of beeswax to the surface of the combs to increase acceptance rates further.
When printing combs it is vital that you use plastics that are generally considered food safe. For brood combs, standard PLA and PET will likely be safe for your bees. Any combs intended for storing honey for human consumption should be printed from plastics that are marketed specifically as being food grade (though I think it would be better to just let the bees store their honey in traditional comb). Do not print combs intended for use in bee hives with ABS plastic - it is toxic.
PLA may not be a good choice for beekeepers in warmer climates. If temperatures in your area are hot enough to melt the beeswax in your hives then it is hot enough to cause the PLA combs to breakdown and fail. PET will be a better choice for you.
As a side note, lactic acid has been shown to be useful as an anti-varroa mite treatment and PLA (polylactic acid), releases small amounts of lactic acid over time. it will be interesting to see if this has any effect on varroa populations in my hives.
I will be testing these combs in my apiary in the spring of 2018. I assume that the acceptance rate will be on par with that of HoneySuperCell frames and other plastic foundations when the bees are given no other options. I will be applying a light coating of beeswax to the surface of the combs to increase acceptance rates further.
When printing combs it is vital that you use plastics that are generally considered food safe. For brood combs, standard PLA and PET will likely be safe for your bees. Any combs intended for storing honey for human consumption should be printed from plastics that are marketed specifically as being food grade (though I think it would be better to just let the bees store their honey in traditional comb). Do not print combs intended for use in bee hives with ABS plastic - it is toxic.
PLA may not be a good choice for beekeepers in warmer climates. If temperatures in your area are hot enough to melt the beeswax in your hives then it is hot enough to cause the PLA combs to breakdown and fail. PET will be a better choice for you.
As a side note, lactic acid has been shown to be useful as an anti-varroa mite treatment and PLA (polylactic acid), releases small amounts of lactic acid over time. it will be interesting to see if this has any effect on varroa populations in my hives.