356 



Experiments with Foundation. 



Having been furnished some fine look- 

 ing samples of Given's foundation in 

 wired frames, we felt desirous of test- 

 ing it, and as its merits had been rated 

 very high, we determined to make a 

 comparative trial with the best in the 

 market for ordinary use in the apiary. 

 We determined also to test the desirable- 

 ness of foundation made from very dark 

 wax, and its liability to sag or twist. 

 At the time of making the experiment 

 honey was not coming in abundantly, 

 the bees gathering mainly from melilot. 



A 1-story, 10-frame Langstroth hive 

 was selected, containing only a mode- 

 rately strong colony, which had been 

 depleted once or twice to strengthen 

 others. July 12, at 7 a. m., a sheet of 

 Given wired foundation, made from 

 yellow wax, about 5 feet to the pound, 

 was placed in the centre of the hive, 

 flanked on each side with a comb of 

 brood ; second to the right was placed a 

 sheet of yellow Dunham, 4% feet to the 

 pound, and second to the left a sheet of 

 very dark Dunham, about h% feet to the 

 pound. In the evening the queen was 

 removed from the hive, and another in- 

 troduced by caging on the surface of a 

 brood comb. At this time the heavy 

 yellow Dunham was worked over about 

 % its surface on both sides, cells being 

 drawn out about % of an inch. The 

 dark Dunham was worked in the upper 

 corners only, and drawn out about 1-16 

 of an inch. The Given frame was en- 

 tirely deserted, and nothing done. On 

 the following morning the bees were 

 badly demoralized, having discovered 

 the loss of the old queen, and very hos- 

 tile to the intruder. Until the 16th, 

 work was almost wholly confined to the 

 yellow Dunham, although some w T ork 

 was done on the dark Dunham, but 

 nothing yet on the Given. Bees were 

 storing honey in the yellow Dunham ; 

 and being ready to accept and protect 

 the queen, she was released. On the 

 17th the queen was found on the yellow 

 Dunham, and bees working with spirit 

 on both Dunham sheets ; also at work 



on the Given. At this writing (July 24) 

 every cell of the yellow Dunham is oc- 

 pied with eggs, larva? or honey ; most 

 of the surface of the dark Dunham is 

 worked out, and honey or eggs deposit- 

 ed in the cells, while about % of the sur- 

 face of the Given is being worked upon, 

 but not sufficiently advanced for use. 



On the 14th ult. we commenced ex- 

 periment !No. 2, by placing a sheet of 

 each of the foundations described in a 

 5-frame nucleus colony with a good 

 queen (increasing it to 8 frames), sheets 

 occupying same positions. The result 

 was the same as the first experiment, 

 except that the bees gnawed several 

 holes in the Given foundation, in their 

 efforts to remove the wires. 



In neither of the foregoing tests is 

 there any sagging or twisting. Sus- 

 pecting soapsuds had been used to wash 

 the plates by Mr. Given, we wrote 

 to him upon this point. He answered 

 that he had for a time used scented soap- 

 suds, but had discovered the bees did 

 not like it, and he had abandoned it. 

 Mr. G. sent us several sheets of his pres- 

 ent manufacture, which will probably 

 be more satisfactory in a future trial. 



About the 6th ult., Mr. D. A. Jones 

 sent us a sheet of Abbott's foundation 

 made on a wooden base. The board is 

 about 1-16 of an inch thick ; this is 

 coated on both sides with wax, then 

 placed between plates, which are put in 

 a press and a flat-bottomed impression 

 made in the wax. This waxed board 

 was tacked in a frame and placed in the 

 brood chamber of a strong colony. The 

 bees took to it speedily, and at this time 

 every cell is built out and occupied with 

 brood or honey. 



With no desire ta make invidious 

 comparisons, or to create a popularity 

 for one product more than another, a 

 sense of duty to our readers impels us 

 to give the conclusions arrived at after 

 two seasons 1 experiments, and the ex- 

 perience of many others: 1. We are 

 more than confirmed in the opinion we 

 expressed last season, that the Dunham 

 foundation is the best in the market ; 2. 

 Yellow wax is more acceptable to the 



