Premier Purecell Foundation
Premier's Purecell double-waxed plastic foundation gives your bees a head start. Two heavy coats of pure capping beeswax mean comb gets drawn fast — often in days, not weeks — and the food-grade plastic core won't warp, blow out, or break, even after years of extracting. Made in the USA. The bees' favorite plastic foundation, and ours too.
Features
- Two heavy coats of 100% capping beeswax from A.H. Meyer & Sons
- 5.3mm standard cell size with 36% thinner cell walls — up to 10% more cells per sheet
- Virgin, FDA-approved, BPA-free plastic
- Snaps into wooden frames with grooved top and bottom bars
- Available in Deep (fits 9-1/8" frames), Medium (fits 6-1/4" frames), and Shallow (fits 5-3/8" frames)
- Available in Black (best for brood inspection) and Yellow (looks natural, great for honey supers)
- Made in the USA
How it works in real life
Snap one sheet into each grooved wooden frame — no nails, no glue, no extra waxing. The bees pick up the scent of fresh capping wax almost immediately and start drawing comb out of the box, even during a dearth when wax-building normally stalls. By the time your inspection rolls around the following week, you'll often see drawn comb already filling out. Premier's plastic is stiff enough to handle radial extractors and flexible enough to flex into the frame without cracking.
Choosing depth and color
Deep fits standard 9-1/8" deep frames — what most beekeepers use in their brood box and sometimes their first super.
Medium fits 6-1/4" medium frames — a popular choice for honey supers and for beekeepers running all-medium hives to keep equipment uniform and box weights manageable.
Shallow fits 5-3/8" shallow frames — most often used in honey supers by beekeepers who want the lightest possible boxes to lift when they're full and capped.
Black makes white eggs and tiny larvae jump out against the dark background. Most beekeepers — especially newer ones still training their eye — prefer black in the brood box. It can cut your inspection time noticeably.
Yellow looks more like natural comb and is the traditional choice for honey supers, where you're not hunting for eggs. Some beekeepers run black below and yellow above for that reason. Both colors are identical in every other way — same wax, same plastic, same cell pattern.
Before you order
Purecell foundation fits wooden frames with grooved top and grooved bottom bars. It will NOT fit wedge-top or solid-bottom frames — those need traditional wired wax foundation. Check your frames before ordering. If you're running one-piece plastic frames, you don't need separate foundation.
Pairs Well With
Wooden frames for this foundation — 9 1/8" deep and 6 1/4" medium Alliance frames with grooved top and grooved bottom bars, in singles, 10-packs, and 100-packs:
For Shallow foundation — pair with 5-3/8" shallow frames that have a grooved top bar and grooved bottom bar.
Specifications
| Depth options | Deep (fits 9-1/8" frames), Medium (fits 6-1/4" frames), Shallow (fits 5-3/8" frames) |
| Color options | Black, Yellow |
| Wax coating | Double — two coats of 100% capping beeswax |
| Cell size | 5.3mm (standard) |
| Material | Virgin food-grade plastic, BPA-free |
| Frame compatibility | Grooved top + grooved bottom only |
| Country of origin | Made in USA |
| Sold as | Individual sheet or 10-sheet pack |
FAQ
Do I need to add more wax?
No. The double coating is enough to trigger comb-building straight out of the box.
Will bees actually draw plastic foundation?
Yes — the double wax coat is the difference. Single-coated plastic is what gave plastic a bad name. With Purecell's double coat, bees draw it as fast as wax foundation, often faster.
Black or yellow — which should I buy?
Black makes eggs and small larvae easier to see, which matters most in the brood box. Yellow looks more natural and is the traditional choice for honey supers. Many beekeepers run black below, yellow above.
Deep, medium, or shallow — which do I need?
Match your frames. Deep foundation goes in 9-1/8" deep frames; medium in 6-1/4" medium frames; shallow in 5-3/8" shallow frames. The wrong depth simply won't fit.
Can I use it in plastic frames?
No. This sheet is designed for wooden frames with grooved top and bottom bars. Plastic frames are one-piece with foundation built in.
How long does it last?
Decades in normal use. The plastic is impervious to wax moth damage and holds up to radial extractors.
