GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Looking through a finished frame, showing liow the wiies are deflected out of line. 



DIRECTIONS FOR PUTTING FULL SHEETS OF 



COMB FOUNDATION IN WIRED FRAMES, 



AND IMBEDDING THE WIRE IN THE 



WAX. 



Ill order to do rapid work in putting 

 foundation in frames, select a bencli or table 

 large enough to hold the empty frames, the 

 pile of foundation, imbedding-tool, etc. 

 I'repare tlie following equii^ment : A com- 

 mon kerosene or coal-oil lamp (one having 

 a metal chimney preferred), a small box the 

 same height as the lamp, and a board about 

 one inch thick, of such a size that, when 

 laid flat on the bench, the frame will just 

 slip over it, in which position it will be sup- 

 ported only by the wires resting on the inch 

 board. Light the lamp, being careful not 

 to have the wick turned very high. Place 

 it on the bench and move the box above re- 

 feiTed to close to it Put the imbedding-tool 

 over the lamp, resting the metal part on the 

 edge of the chimney so the spur wheel will 

 come directly over the heat. Support the 

 handle by means of the box. Fig. lA. 



Select a wired frame ; turn it upside down 

 on the bench so that it rests on the top-bar. 

 There are two grooves in the top-bar, the 

 one nearest the center for the foundation, 

 and the other one for the wedge. The frame 

 should be standing on the bench with the 

 groove for the wedge toward you. Pick up 

 a sheet of foundation from the pile, being 

 careful not to wrinkle the edge, and place 

 it in position in the frame, holding it with 

 the two hands, as shown in Fig. 1, the fin- 

 gers reaching around the end-bar on to the 

 other side of the foundation. Start one 

 corner into the center groove, and then, by 



pulling slightly with the other hand to 

 straighten out the sheet, and at the same 

 time giving the frame a slight jar on the 

 bench, the foundation will settle down into 

 the groove. Make sure that it is down as 

 far as it will go, so that the vertical edges 

 are parallel with the end-bars of the frames. 

 Start one end of a wedge in the gi'oove, tak- 

 ing pains to have the beveled side next the 

 groove containing the foundation. After 

 the wedge is started in the groove at the 

 ieft end, draw your right hand along, thus 

 I)ressing it down as much as possible. Then 

 take a stick three-quarters of an inch square, 

 the end of which is notched as shown in 

 Fig. 3A, and, starting at the left end of the 

 wedge, push it down below the top of the 

 groove. Move the stick rapidly along the 

 groove toward the right, pushing down 

 about every two inches so that the wedge is 

 pushed clear down below the top of the 

 gi-oove all along. If this is not done, the 

 v.'edge is likely to drop out later on when 

 the wood shrinks, thus allowing the founda- 

 tion to fall out when the bees get on it. The 

 notched stick refeired to should be cut with 

 a saw from hard wood, and the shorter pro- 

 jection should not be over an eighth of an 

 inch long, so that, when the stick is pushed 

 down, the wedge will be pushed in a six- 

 teenth of an inch below the top of the 

 groove. 



Lay the frame, in wliich the foundation is 

 fastened, over the inch board, letting the 

 foundation be next to the board and the 

 wires on top. Push down on each end-bar 

 to make sure that the foundation lies flat on 

 the board. If you are right-handed, stand 



