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Queries W Replies, 



Wired Franie§ of Foundation 

 for Straislit Combs. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



Query 600.— 1. Are there any objections 

 to very thick foundation ? 2 Which is the 

 better, wired frames or wired foundation ? or 

 are both used together ? 3. Are wired frames 

 a certain guaranty aRainst all warping or sag- 

 glnn ? 4. Where can I get reliable and detailed 

 Instructions for wiring frames, and putting in 

 foundation 7 I have spent about f 00 in foun- 

 dation, and I do not believe that I have one 

 perfectly straight comb. The foundation 

 was a little over four sheets to the pound ; 

 the frames were 17"i by 8!4 inches, inside 

 measure, and the hives were well shaded. I 

 would like to have combs aa straight as if 

 they were sawed out.— B. C. 



Let the bees build their corabs a la 

 Hutchinson, and thus avoid all ex- 

 pense and bother. — G. M. Doolittle. 



1. Yes, the cost. 2. I prefer wired 

 frames. 3. Yes, if properl)' used. 4. 

 In our standard bee-books. I have 

 now used wired frames for several 

 Ticars, and all my frames are true and 

 straight. — A. J. Cook. 



1. Yes. 2. Wired frames. 3. No. 

 4. Attend some bee-convention and 

 call up the question, or write to some 

 well known authorit}-. — H. D. Cutting. 



1. Yes, very thick foundation is too 

 heavy for any purpose. 2. Founda- 

 tion in wired frames. 3. I think so, 

 if properly made and properlj' used. — 

 Eugene Secor. 



1. Not for brood-combs, except the 

 cost for so much wax. 2. Wire the 

 frames, and then press on the founda- 

 tion. 3. Yes, if properl)- put up. 3. 

 In the back numbers of the Bee Jour- 

 N.\L. I think you had the very best 

 foundation to get straight combs from, 

 but you must have handled it badly. — 

 James Heddon. 



1. No, only it may be an unneces- 

 sarj^ expenditure of wax. 2. I do not 

 use either. 3. While a remedy, the 

 bees object to them. 4. In most of 

 the bee-books. Perfectly straight combs 

 can always be obtained if the bee- 

 keeper will give an ej^e to the drawing- 

 out of the foundation by the bees. — J. 

 P. H. Bkow N. 



1. It .should not be too thick. 2. I 

 prefer wired frames. 3. I have never 

 had any warping or sagging with 

 them. 4. Instruction has been given 

 in difterent bee books and papers. — C. 

 C. Miller. 



1. Not for brood, except its cost. 2. 

 Either. Most people wire the founda- 

 tion too much. 3. Yes, three wires 



horizontally, or four perpendicularly. 

 4. We do not know that any special 

 instructions are needed, though there 

 is probablj- some fault in j'our method. 

 We never have any trouble. Our 

 combs are all as straight as boards. — 

 Dadant & Son. 



I. Not for the brood-chamber, ex- 

 cept the expense of wax. 2. Wired 

 frames are the better, because the 

 frames are also strengthened. Either 

 way is sutiicient. 3. Yes, if the wire 

 and foundation are good, and the 

 work properly done. 4. In any good 

 work on bee-keeping, or in back num- 

 bers of the bee-papers. — R. L. Taylor. 



1. No objection except the extra ex- 

 ]ionse. 2. I prefer wired frames. 3. 

 If properly wired and filled, they are. 

 4. The late published manuals on bee- 

 keeping explain fully. — J. M. Shuck. 



1. There is no objection to very 

 thick foundation for brood-combs, ex- 

 cept the cost. 2. Wired frames are 

 the best, and if rightly used there is 

 no trouble in getting combs "straight 

 as a board." — C. H. Dibbern. 



1. I know of no objection to heavy 

 foundation for the brood-chamber. 2. 

 Wired foundation. 3. No. One must 

 use some judgment and skill in putting 

 foundation in the frames. 4. In the 

 bee-papers. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 



1. I prefer foundation about six 

 sheets to the pound (Langstroth size). 



2. I have never used wired foundation, 

 having used onlj' the wired frames. 3. 

 Yes, with me. 4. Get a sample wired 

 frame. Almost all dealers have in- 

 structions for that purpose. — P. L. 



VlALLON. 



1. I thiuk there are. Very thick 

 foundation is a waste of capital, be- 

 sides the corabs are not so nice, in my 

 estimation. 2. 1 would prefer wires 

 in the frame. But I have my combs 

 drawn out in the upper story of the 

 hive, and use the finished combs to 

 hive swarms on, and by this manage- 

 ment I dispense with wire altogether. 



3. Yes, if the work is properly done. 

 But I do not like wire in combs. 4. 

 You ought to find the information in 

 any good work on bee-culture. — G. W. 

 Demaree. 



I have but little experience with 

 foundation in the brood-nest. 1. There 

 are no objections to quite thick foun- 

 dation, except the waste of wax. 2. I 

 have never used wired foundation or 

 wired frames. I have straight combs 

 without either. 3. I do not know. 4. 

 In any of the books on bee-culture. — 

 M. Mahin. 



1. Yes. About 5 or 6 feet to the 

 pound suits me best, and is very nearly 

 the same weight as comb built by the 

 bees ; and more wax or weight is a 

 waste. 2. I make my own foundation 



on a Given press, so I prefer and use 

 wired frames. 3. Yes, if properly 

 done. 4. I do not know, unless you 

 ask some one to write out instructions 

 to be published, or write to some one 

 who is posted, for instructions. — A. B. 

 Mason. 



I use Dadant's heavy foundation, 5 

 feet to the pound. If you will wire 

 your frames horizontally, four or five 

 strands to the frame, use full sheets of 

 foundation, and space your frames IJ 

 inches from center to center, you will 

 realize but little inconvenience ; at 

 least that has been my experience with 

 thousands of combs. Chas. Dadant & 

 Son are about as good reference as I 

 can give you, for detailed instructions. 

 — J. M. Hambaugh. 



1. Yes, the expense of wax ; eight 

 sheets to the pound, one foot square, 

 is thick enough for the brood-chamber. 

 2. Wired frames, by all means. 3. 

 Not in all cases ; so a little judgment 

 must be used. 4. In any practical 

 work on bee-keeping, or in the old 

 files of the American Bee Journal. 

 No set instructions on this point alone 

 can be given that will be of much 

 value. Study the whole subject thor- 

 oughly. — J. E. Pond. 



I. For sections, yes. For the brood- 

 chamber it should not be less than 7 

 square feet to the pound. 2. Wired 

 frames. 3. Ye-es. 4. Look in Prof. 

 Cook's Manual, last edition, pages 314 

 to 316. Your foundation was entirely 

 took thick ; you should have used not 

 less than 12 sheets to the pound for 

 sections. If your combs are badly 

 bulged out, place them upon a table 

 or some other level surface ; place a 

 level board upon the comb and press it 

 firmly down into the frame. This 

 plan works well with me. — Will M. 

 Barnum. 



1. Yes ; its cost, principally. 2. 

 Wired frames filled with comb founda- 

 tion. 3. Probably so, if carefully made 

 and used. 4. In the standard bee- 

 books and bee-periodicals. The fault 

 must have been in management, for 

 the foundation was all right. — Tele 

 Editor. 



Convention l^otices. 



C^ The Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Association 

 will convene at Liacoln, Nebr., on J an. 9, lO and 1 1, 

 1889. J. N. Heater. Sec. 



r^~ The annual meeting of the Ontario Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association will be held at Owen Sound, Ont., 

 on Jan. 8 and 9, 1889. W. CoDSE, Sec. 



23?" The annual ronvpntion of the Vermont State 

 Bee-Keept'rs" Association win tie lield in the Court 

 House at Middleburv. Vt.. on Tuesday. Jan. 15, 1889. 

 Maucia a. Dodglas, Sec. 



f:F" The annual meeting of the Northwestern 

 Illinois and 8outliwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' 

 Association will he held in the Supervisors Room of 

 thet^ourt House at Kockford, Ills., on Jan. 15 and 



IB. 1889. D. A. Ftn-LER, SCC. 



TW~ There will be a meetine of the Susquehanna 

 County Bee-Keepers' Association at the Court House 

 in Montrose. Pa., on Saturday, May 4. I >«9. at 10 a-m. 

 H. M. Seelet, Sec 



