3'4 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING 



quality. They were crooked, and generally con- 

 tained a large percentage of drone comb, which 

 made them practically useless as a means of honey 

 production. k With the use of these wax sheets the 

 bees find half of their work already done for them : 

 the septum or mid-rib of their cells is in position, 

 and all that remains to be done is to draw but the 

 walls. Needless to say, comb building progresses 

 at a rapid rate. 



Comb foundation' should be used with the 

 greatest liberality, as liberality — not extravagance 

 — in this direction is most profitable. The more 

 work the bees can be saved in comb building 

 the greater the gain, for note that bees con- 

 sume from thirteen to twenty pounds of honey in 

 secreting the wax for one pound of comb. Many 

 bee-keepers who are supposed to know their trade 

 even now make a regular practice of placing 

 starters in all their frames and sections. Starters 

 are narrow strips of wax, about half-inch deep, 

 placed along the top-bars, and their use, as their 

 name indicates, is to give the bees a start. It 

 does that and nothing more, and- the resulting 

 combs in the majority of cases give strict indica- 

 tions as to their origin. Full sheets of founda- 

 tion should always be used, and not starters, or 

 even half sheets. The sheets are made in several 

 thicknesses for different purposes. There is 

 medium and thick brood foundation for the brood 

 or standard frames, medium and thin brood for the 

 shallow or surplus frames, and thin super for 



