FURNISHING AND STOCKING A BEEHIVE. 55 



of the proper heat, a good joint will result. But 

 a much more satisfactory plan of fixing full-sized 

 sheets of foundation is to wire them as explained 

 below. 



A trellis of wire is secured to the frame, and 

 these wires are heated and embedded into the wax 

 itself so that the foundation cannot give way in 

 the hive an accident that no other method is proof 

 against. Each apiarist usually has his own method 

 of wiring frames ; but that illustrated by Fig. 43 is 

 general. Before making-up the frames, run a 

 gauge mark down the centre of each top and bottom 

 bar ; then upon this gauge line, and at distances 

 marked on Fig. 43, bore holes through with a fine 



Fig. '45. Gauge-board. 



bradawl ; also drive in a J-in. tack between one end 

 pair of holes in the bottom of each bottom bar. 

 After the frames are made up, thread some No. 30 

 tinned iron wire through the holes in rotation by 

 the figures and in the direction indicated by the 

 arrows, commencing at No. 1 and finishing at No. 8. 

 Now fix the free end of the wire from hole No. 8 

 by giving it a twist or two round the tack at T, then, 

 working backward, tighten the loop between 7 and 

 6, then between 5 and 4, 3 and 2, and finally pass 

 the wire two or three times round the tack T, ham- 

 mer the tack home, and cut off the surplus wire. 

 If properly done, the wires, when touched, should 

 emit a dull musical note, and neither top nor 

 bottom bars should be strained out of parallelism. 



