I have been unable to access any research articles on the differences of the bees’ acceptance between plastic and wax foundation.

 Sometimes bees will raise comb off the surface of new plastic foundation. To discourage this creative license, it is common for beekeepers to add additional wax to new plastic foundation. This can be done in a couple of different ways. Some people melt beeswax in a double boiler then paint it on the plastic foundation. By far the easier method is to rub solid wax on the foundation, like one would a crayon rubbing. The bees seem to accept this much better and settle down and draw out beautiful straight comb. Bees draw the best comb when there is a nectar flow. This is also why beekeepers feed 1:1 syrup when the bees are given a new box full of foundation frames.

You might find this article from Rusty Burlew’s Honey Bee Suite, “The 3 ½ Conditions Necessary for Comb Building” helpful.  

May your bees draw only straight beautiful comb this year!