534 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKK 



EEKEEPING IN THE SOUTHWEST 



LoMis M» §■ 



New Braiuiinifels, Texas. 



FASTENING FOUNDATION IN SHALLOW FRAMES 



The writer is ama2;ed at the many and 

 very awkward ways in which different bee- 

 keepers fasten foundation into the frames 

 they use. A very common method is that of 

 heating a knife-blade, and, after laying a 

 sheet of foundation in the inverted frame so 

 that its edge extends about % of an inch 

 beyond the center of the top-bar, running 

 this blade over the edge of the foundation 

 until it adheres firmly to the wood. When 

 the frame is turned over into position again 

 the foundation hangs in the proper place in 

 the frame. There are also several founda- 

 tion-presses that fasten the foundation in a 

 like manner. But one of the greatest ob- 

 jections to such methods is the loss of the 

 % inch, or often more, of foundation en- 

 tailed in such fastening. While this may 

 seem to be only a very small item, this loss 

 amounts to a good deal when the number of 

 frames to be filled with foundation runs up 

 into the thousands. And another serious 

 objection to such manner of fastening is 

 that the foundation does not always remain 

 in position, but often falls down. This de- 

 pends a good deal upon the temperature 

 when it is i:)ressed to the tojj-bar, and the 

 length of time the supers may have to stand 

 before being placed upon the hives. It is 

 also impossible to depend on such fastening 

 of foundation Avhen the supers so filled ha\ e 

 to be hauled to outyards and over rough 

 roads. 



My experience with various methods has 

 taught me that the melted-wax plan is the 

 best and the cheapest. Of course, I Avould 

 not use the slow methods employed by some 

 beekeepers. Holding a board into a frame 

 in order to get the foundation spaced prop- 

 erly, while the frame rests on the knee, and 

 then ijouring melted v.-ax along the founda- 

 tion and top-bar, is a cumbersom.e and te- 

 dious way indeed; yet I have seen this done 

 by many beekeepers. Instead of this it is 

 very easy to construct a rack to hold tlie 

 frames provided with boards of the thick- 

 ness to space the foundation exactly in the 

 center of the top-bar. These boards slant 

 downward toward one end to allow the wax 

 to run along the foundation, Avhich fastens 

 it securely and easily. Nails driven into the 

 uprights just below the spacing-boards act 

 as frame supports, as shown in the accom- 

 panying illustration. 



Any cheap wax scraps are used, such as 

 are even too inferior for the market: hence 

 there is a considerable saving in this as 



compared with the high price of the foun- 

 dation that is wasted with the above-men- 

 tioned metliods. This saving is still greater 



Seholl's frame-rack. 



since the same Avax can be used again and 

 again every time neAv foundation is to be 

 put in. This is especially important with 

 us, since Ave must fill our frames Avith foun- 

 dation many times during the season, or 

 each time when Ave cut out the bulk comb 

 honey and get the supers ready again. After 

 the honey is cut out, the frames are scraped 

 clean of the Avax that remains, and this is 

 then used to fasten the- foundation. 



SchoU's fire pot, 



