SUGAR, MOLASSES, CONFECTIONS, AND HONEY. 865 



No. 397046, ISSUED JANUARY 29, 1889. 



By Lewis Angs. Aspinwall, of Three Rivers, Mich. The inventor claims that efforts 

 have beeii made to produce artificial honeycombs, but difficulties have arisen pre- 

 venting such combs being fully available. If the artificial comb is of wax it is liable 

 to become too soft in hot weather for handling, and can not be used a second time. 

 If made of tin, celluloid, hard rubber, or similar material, it is expensive and not ac- 

 ceptable to the bees, which require a surface of wax upon which to deposit their 

 honey, and where efforts have been made to coat such combs with wax the comb was 

 liable to scale and become injured. When paper has been formed into a comb, the 

 same has not the strength necessary for handling, and where such artificial combs 

 have been placed in centrifugal separators for removing the honey, they have col- 

 lapsed and become unfit for further use. The inventor finds that a strong comb, 

 adapted to repeated use, can be made of a slab of end-grain wood, with holes bored 

 into the same parallel to the grain of the wood. These can be coated with wax by 

 dipping into the molted material and the excess thrown off with a centrifugal ma- 

 chine. The inventor prefers baeswood, but does not limit himself to this particular 

 kind. The slab is about the usual thickness of a honeycomb, and the holes are bored 

 into the same of about the same size and in about the position of those in the natural 

 honeycomb. In all instances the holes are parallel to the grain or fiber of the wood 

 so that the partitions between the cells may be as thin as possible and the walls 

 smooth. After the holes are bored the prepared slab is introduced into the melted 

 wax and the wax penetrates and fills the pores of the wood, and the whole of it will 

 be coated with a thin film of wax. A combination of beeswax with rosin or other 

 gums, which is less expensive, may be employed instead of natural wax this com- 

 pound being acceptable to the bees and accomplishing the same result. 



METALLIC COMB. 



A honeycomb made wholly from metals and afterwards coated with 

 wax, is described iii Quinby's Bee Keeping by L. C. Eoot, edition of 

 1884, page 193. The author of the book also says, speaking of artificial 

 comb, " That cells of full depth with such comb have not yet been 

 offered for commercial purposes." He expresses Ms belief that such 

 artificial comb will yet be made, and says that as long ago as 1870 Mr. 

 Quiuby made extensive experiments in this direction. 



Comb was made out of tin plate by crimping it and placed in the 

 center of a piece of worker comb, when " the queen occupied it, filling 

 it with eggs, just as she did the natural cells adjoining, and in due time 

 the young bees matured equally well. * * * Sheet iron was also 

 used. * * * The bees would lengthen the artificial cells with wax." 



The American Bee Journal of July 25, 1888, however, says that ar- 

 tificial comb was made at that time with cells one-half inch in depth, 

 which is the full depth and a little more, of the natural cell. It is 

 therefore seen that Mr. Quinby's anticipations have been realized at an 

 earlier date, even, than he anticipated. 



LIST OF MANUFACTURERS OF COMB AND COMB FOUNDATION. 



J. V. Caldwell, Cambridge, 111. 



Charles Dadant & Son, Hamilton, Hancock County, 111. ; 1889, production 59,551 

 pounds; 1890, product 85,000 pounds. 

 F. C. Erkel, Le Sueur, Minn. 



W. T. Falconer Manufacturing Company, Jamestown, N. Y. 

 Wilbur G. Fish, Ithaca, N. Y. ; 40 and 50 cents per pound. 

 M. H. Hunt, Bell Branch, Mich. 



