Apiaky Expekiments. 15 



times the weight of the lighter. It even exceeds the weight of the 

 thickest of the natural comb samples by 2.01 grains. 



If we take the comb cells on "1898" deep-cell foundation that 

 measured 1.13 of an inch thick an^ compare their weight with the 

 sample of like thickness of natural comb, we see that the cells of the 

 latter are lighter by 4.38 grains. In fact the cell walls of this sam- 

 ple of deep-cell foundation exceed in weight any of those of the 

 seven thicker samples of natural comb. 



The comb samples on the "1899" deep-cell foundation had cell 

 walls that compare very favorably with the natural comb in lightness. 

 Tlie comb 1.31 inches thick on this foundation had cells that weighed 

 exactly the same as cells of natural comb that was 1.33 inches 

 thick, and the cells from the sample 1.50 inches thick did not weigh 

 more than would be expected for natural comb. The sample of 

 comb .75 of an inch thick on this foundation does not compare so 

 favorably in weight of its cells. 



If we pass to the comb on thin super foundations we again find 

 very satisfactory comparisons. The cells from comb 1 inch thick 

 and from comb 1.20 inches thick weighed only a trifle more from 

 the foundation than from natural comb. The same is true of the 

 average of the two samples in each case that were 1.25 inches thick. 

 The differences being so slight, go to show that there is practically 

 no difference in the weight of celV walls of natural comb and comb 

 of the same thickness on the thin super foundation. 



The samples of comb on extra thin foundation compare equally 

 well with natural comb in the lightness of their cell walls, as may 

 be seen by, the table. 



By comparing the weights of the comb midribs given in col- 

 umn four, it will be seen that the lightest midribs from comb on 

 foundation are not quite as heavy as the heaviest midribs in natural 

 worker comb, but in every case they are heavier than the average 

 weight (2.10 grains to the square inch) of the midrib of natural 

 comb. 



With this additional evidence, it seems impossible to avoid the 

 conclusion that heavy foundations result in combs heavier than 

 the natural, and that the increased weight is due both to thicker 

 midribs and heavier cell walls, but much more to the latter than to 

 the former in cases where heavy foundations are employed, even 

 though much wax is left unused in the midrib. 



The experiments show that to get a light comb, approaching 

 tl'at which the bees naturally build, there must not be a large 

 amount of wax in either the midrib or cell walls of the foundation. 



The evidence is also quite conclusive that if the cell walls are 

 very high, as in the "1898" deep-cell foundation, they will not 

 often be well thinned in the building of the comb. 



