54 



MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 



allowed between the bottom bar and the sheet of foundation, and a 

 half inch at each end for two-thirds of the way up. 



With these precautions swarms may even be hived on full sheets of 

 foundation without wiring the frames; but the practice will probably 

 continue of using starters, chiefly in the case of swarms, and, when full 

 sheets are employed, of alternating them with combs already built out. 

 Some prefer to wire the frames even though it is considerable trouble, 

 for the combs require less attention while in process of construction 

 and are firmer for shipping, for use in the extractor, or for any other 

 manipulation. Three or four horizontal wires will suffice. No. 30 

 annealed tinned wire is the preferable size and quality. The end bars 

 of the frame are pierced by four holes, the first 1 inch below the 

 top bar. A small tack secures the end of the wire, which is then 

 passed back and forth and drawn up so as to leave no slack. The 

 four horizontal wires, ii inches apart, will be sufficient to render 

 combs quite secure. After fastening the foundation to the top bar in 



the usual way the wires are 

 embedded in the wax by a 

 spur embedder, which is a 

 small wheel with grooved 

 teeth (fig. 42). Where large 

 numbers of frames are to 

 be ,vire 1 a current of elec- 

 tricity from a small bat- 

 tery will do the work more 

 neatly and quickly than the 

 spur embedder. 



The disadvantages of wiring frames are, first, its expense, caused 

 chiefly by the time employed in doing it; and second, the fact that 

 wherever the wire does not get embedded into the midrib of the founda- 

 tion, as is sure to happen in many cases, the rearing of brood is inter- 

 fered with, and also, under the methods employed by the majority in 

 wintering, moisture is very likely to cause the combs to cleave from the 

 wires, whereupon the bees are disposed to gnaw the combs away from 

 the wires in spots and not rebuild them. 



These disadvantages, except that of expense, are overcome by incor- 

 porating fine wire in the sheets of foundation when they are rolled. 

 The sheets are trimmed with wooden shears, which leave the ends of 

 the wires projecting. These are then glued to the bars of the frame. 

 The added expense is again the main objection, except to those who 

 wish to ship colonies or nuclei, or transport them from place to place 

 for pasturage. 



COMB-FOUNDATION MACHINES. 



The first attempts to give bees outlines of cells as a basis for comb 

 building were made in Germany. The top bars of the frames were 

 coated on the underside with beeswax, and a strip of wood having 



FlG. 42. Spur wire-eiubedder. (From Gleuninys.) 



