62 



THE PE>CTICAL BEE GUIDE. 



hive in summer, ana will stretch and break down, in either case 

 imposing- much trouble and loss upon the bee-keeper. Founda- 

 tion may be tested for adulteration with tallow, by the smell 

 when broken ; and for adulteration with mineral wax, by chew- 

 ing for a few minutes, when if it bo pure, it will crumble in 

 the mouth, and if adulterated with paraffin or ccresin (64), will 

 adhere in mass, like chewing gum. This test is, however, not 

 always reliable, and some more accurate test is necessary to 

 enable every bee-keeper to prove for himself the quality of the 

 foundation v.'hich he buys. If a tumbler, wine glass, or wide- 

 mouthed bottle be half filled with water, and a small piece of pure 

 wax, such as may generally be found somewhere in a hive, be 

 dropped into the water, it will float, because the specific gravity 

 of the wax (g6o-g7o) is less than the specific gravity of the 

 water (1,000). If now a small quantity of alcohol be slowly 

 poured into the vessel until the piece of wax no longer floats, 

 but just sinks to the bottom, and no more alcohol be added than 

 that which is just sufficient to permit the wax to descend from 

 the surface, then the water will have been brought to the same 

 specific gravity as that of pure wax. But wax that is adulterated 

 with paraffin or cercsin is of lighter specific gravity than that 

 of pure beeswax, and if dropped into the vessel it Vv'iU float 

 where pure beeswax will not. This test is inexpensive, and 

 sufficiently accurate to serve for practical purposes in the 

 examination of foundation for adulteration with mineral wax. 

 The liquid may be kept in a glass-stoppered bottle for future 

 tests. 



115. Change of Colour When no longer fresh, foundation 



may become darker in colour and so brittle that it will break 

 if tested by bending. Warming it slightly before a fire will 

 improve it, and will partially restore its original colour. 



116. Quantity Required. — li lbs. of brood foundation will 

 about suffice for 11 standard frames (97), i-g lb. of thin super 

 foundation will fill about 105 sections, 4':i" '■■'■ 4I" , or five crates 

 (103). 



117. Fixing Foundation — Foundation is usually fixed in 

 sections by means of the splits in the tops, or in the tops and 

 sides (101), and in frames, the upper edge of the sheet is caught 

 either in a saw-cut in the top bar, or by the groove and wedge 

 already described (97). When full sheets are used in frames, 

 and especially when intended for extracting purposes, the 

 foundation is generally wired to the frames (263). Formerly 

 foundation was fixed with melted wax, but this method, re- 

 quiring more time and labour, is rapidly falling into disuse. 

 However the fastening may be made, it is important that the 

 foundation be fixed right side up (Figs. 41, 42, 43). 



