28 BEES FOK PLEASURE AND PEOFIT. 



1 lb. of wax. The most important consideration, hpwevej', 

 is the loss of time. On the under-side of the abdomen of. the 

 worker bee are eight wax pockets in which the wax is secreted ; 

 and as, to secrete wax rapidly and in quantify, bees apparently 

 need perfect rest, when building comb they hang in clusters or 

 festoons within the hive : in this way much valuable .time is 

 often lost just at the very height of the honey flow. 



It must be understood that, were we to hive a swarm in 

 a bar-frame hive, and leave the bees entirely to ..their own 

 devices, the result would be that they would build their combs 

 across the hive in all directions, joining one comb to two or 

 three frames, and making it quite impossible for the frames to 

 be separately removed. It is therefore absolutely imperative 

 that a strip of foundation, at least | inch deep_, should be fitted 

 along the centre of the top bar of every frame : this will act 

 as a guide from which the bees wiU draw out their combs. 



How to fix Foundation in Frames. 



Frames are almost always now made with a saw-cut down 

 the middle of the top bar, and this saw-cut is intended for 

 fixing the foundation in. If a screwdriver is inserted in it, 

 and the handle turned round slightly so as to hold the cut 

 open, the foundation may be slipped into the cut, and, the 

 screwdriver being withdrawn, it will be held firmly in its 

 place : a little melted wax run along the bar just at its 

 junction with the foundation will make all secure. 



In heating beeswax great care must be taken that it does 

 not burn, to avoid which it should be placed in a vessel, and 

 this vessel placed in another of boiling water. An ordinary ■ 

 glue-pot is a very good article to heat beeswax in. 



Wiring Foundation' into Frames. 



A thin description of tinned wire is the best 'for wiring 

 foundation with : it may be obtained from most of the dealers 

 in bee appliances. Along the centre of each side bar of a frame 

 bore two small holes with a bradawl, about two inches from the 

 top and bottom bars, and draw the wire through these holes 

 as shown in fig. 17. Now get a board | inch thick and the 

 same size as the inside of your frame ; keep this board damp, 

 go that the foundation may not stick to it, and lay it flat on 



