CHAPTER IV 



THE PREPARATION OF FRAMES AND SECTIONS 



Before new frames and sections can be used in 

 the hives it is necessary that they should undergo 

 a certain preparation, which consists in filling, or 

 partially filling them with sheets of comb founda- 

 tion. Comb foundation is pure beeswax rolled out 

 into sheets of varying thickness and embossed with 

 the imprint of worker cells, or more rarely with 

 the form of drone cells. This is done by passing 

 the sheets through heavy rollers, which embosses 

 and at the same time imparts an added toughness 

 to them which is very useful in assisting the 

 combs to withstand the high temperature of the 

 hive without breaking down. The invention of 

 this material has probably done more to revolu- 

 tionize bee-keeping than any one thing, with the 

 possible exception of the honey extractor. By 

 its aid combs may be obtained perfectly flat, built 

 entirely of worker cells, and with a very great 

 saving to the energy of the bees, which saving is 

 that of the bee-keeper also. 



Before this material was brought out it was im- 

 possible to obtain, consistently, combs of even fair 

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