130 



FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



feeding honey at any time? What is 

 the use of running the risk of spread- 

 ing disease by feeding at any time? It 

 will always bring as much as sugar on 

 the wholesale marlvet. I don't see why 

 we run that chance of feeding it back. 



President France — Up in Wisconsin 

 (not so down hei*e) — our bee-keepers 

 are miserly and they figure that honey 

 is money and they rob the little fellow 

 that gathers it, too close, consequently 

 they have to feed back again; it is poor 

 economy; but after I have wintered 

 them over and they have too much in 

 the hive, that is the time I want to 

 uncap it; unlock the door and make 

 them use what they have in bank. 

 They won't do it if you don't uncap. 



I have seen bees, wintered outdoors, 

 starve to death with thirty pounds of 

 honey in that hive. 



Question: Why don't you bring your 

 wife to the Conventions? 



A member — I can answer that; I 

 haven't any. 



Convention adjourned, to meet at 

 7.30 p. m. 



EVENING SESSION. 



Meeting convened December 17th, at 

 7:30 p. m. 



President France: Our first topic — 

 The Painting of Comb Foundation, by 

 Mr. E. Hassinger; we will now hear 

 from Mr. Hassinger. 



WHY AND HOW I PAINT COMB 

 FOUNDATION. 



Edward Hassinger, Jr. 



My experience with painting comb 

 foundation with wax is limited to two 

 years, and 3,000 Langstroth frames for 

 brood combs and extracting combs. 

 Why I Do It. 



First: To secure as nearly all per- .- 

 feet worker comb as it is possible 

 to get in Langstroth frames. 



Second: The bees will enter ahd 

 occupy whole supers of this painted 

 foundation as readily as they do sup- 

 ers of all drawn combs. 



There is something about it that is ^ 

 very alluring to them; they will draw 

 it into comb in the smallest kind of ^ 

 a honey flow, and will fasten the foun- 

 dation to the end bars before drawing 

 the comb. 



In a heavy honey flow I have re- 

 peatedly seen whole supers drawn into 



comb 3-8 inch in length, in less than 

 24 hours, and some honey stored in the 

 cells. If any one claims that the bees 

 would not take time to thin down the 

 base of the cell walls in a heavy honey 

 flow I should say he had a freak col- 

 ony of bees under his observation. 



Third: I have reason to believe 

 that it pays in dollars and cents. More 

 definite statements could be made on 

 this subject, if some one will deter- 

 mine just where the dividing line may 

 be drawn between the voluntary and 

 involuntary secretion of wax in the 

 average colony of bees. 



Can any one prove that a colony of 

 bees with all drawn comb in the hive 

 will produce more wax INVOLUN- 

 TARILY than is required to seal the 

 ripened honey. If they do, what do they 

 do with it? If they deposit it all in the 

 hive in the form of brace comb, then 

 I am satisfied that it does not amount 

 to much, finding wax scales on the 

 bottom board does not prove that the 

 bees had no use for them in the supers, 

 the question is, would the bees carry 

 their own wax scales outside of the 

 hive simply because the combs were 

 all built in the hive? 



A drawn comb, Langstroth size, 

 contains about five ounces of wax. A 

 sheet of medium brood foundation con- 

 tains two ounces of wax. A sheet of 

 light brood foundation contains one 

 and three-fifths ounces of wax. 



It takes no more time to paint a 

 sheet of light brood foundation than 

 it does to paint the mediuni brood 

 foundation; therefore, the advantage 

 is in favor of the light brood founda- 

 tion. 



I add not less than one ounce of wax 

 to each sheet of light brood founda- 

 tion; this would make the sheet two 

 and three-fifths ounces in weight or 

 one-fifth ounce m'ore than half the 

 wax required for a full drawn comb. 



125 pounds of wax would make 1,000 

 sheets of medium brood foundation at 

 a cost of 11 cents a pound, or $13.75. 



As it takes only 100 pounds of wax 

 to make 1,000 sheets of light brood 

 foundation at 13 cents a pound, or 

 $13.00, the balance in favor of the light 

 ' brood foundation would be 75 cents in 

 cash and 25 pounds of wax, not count- . 

 ing the labor of painting this wax on 

 the foundation, but, as it is assumed 

 this work would be done anyhow and 

 enough more wax added to equal one 

 ounce per sheet — assuming that it 



