GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



■ 1 (he apiary of Edward H.assinger, Greenville, Wis. 



Granulated comb honey is the best for this 

 purpose. I suppose extracted honey granu- 

 lated can be used in the same way. With 

 the ungranulated comb honey I have not 

 succeeded in getting the chocolate, mixed 

 with powdered sugar, to get hard enough 

 for commercial purjDoses — perhaps because 

 I did not give the comb honey time enough 

 to drain dry. I suppose a professional 

 candy-maker could get it just right. I have 

 eaten chocolate drops with the inside tilled 

 with various liquids. I am sure extracted 

 honey could be used in the same way. Well, 

 just tigure it out yourself. The possibilities 

 are great in this honey-candy business. 



PAINTING FOUNDATION WITH BEESWAX. 



Arthur C. Miller has a nice row of drone- 

 cells on the bottom of the comb shown on 

 page 372, May 15, 1914. I have my loun ■ 

 dation made to order, and have it made to 

 fit the frame less one-sixteenth of an inch 

 from each end-bar, and three-sixteenths of 

 an inch from the bottom-bars. With the 

 most perfectly wired frames there will be 

 some sagging, or ])ei-haps the foundation 

 stretches a little below the bottom wire. 

 Anyhow, a trifle more than % i'lf'li space 

 between the foundation and bottom-bar 

 gives me the most nearly perfect all-worker 



combs, including the bottom row of cells. 

 I use only the medium-brood grade of foun- 

 dation. If this is painted with plentj- of 

 beeswax all around the edges the bees will 

 use some of this wax, and fasten the foun- 

 dation to the frame all around, before they 

 draw out the foundation into comb, pro- 

 viding, of course, the combs are drawn in 

 the supers. 



Your paint-brush for wax will work about 

 ten per cent better if you will take two 

 narrow strips of wood, a little longer than 

 your brush is wide, and nail these together 

 through the half of the brush, about in the 

 center. At the same time, spread out the 

 hair so your brush will be about one inch 

 wider than it Avas before, and the hair of 

 tlie brush will be all in a narrow straight 

 line. This soon forms into a eun-e on the 

 side that you brush the surplus wax off into 

 your dish. Then use the opposite side of 

 tlie brush again.st the curve for your lirst 

 stroke or two on the foundation, and reverse 

 the brush. With some practice you should 

 be able to paint foundation without closing 

 a single cell with wax, providing yon have 

 tlie wax at the right temperature. This you 

 can learn only by experience. 



Greenville, Wis. 



