§ Vlil.] IMPRESSED WAX SHEETS. 187 



they of course do not answer the purpose of supers in 

 providing honey free from the admixture of brood. 



§ VIII. IMPRESSED WAX SHEETS. 



These artificial partition walls for combs are sheets of 

 genuine wax, about the substance of thin cardboard. 

 They receive rhomboidal impressions by being pressed 

 between two metal plates, carefully and mathematically 

 prepared and cast so that the impressions are exactly the 

 same size as the base of the cells of a honeycomb. An 

 inspection of a piece of comb will show that the division 

 of the opposite cells is made by a thin partition-wall, 

 common to both. The substance of this is said to be 

 only the one hundred and eightieth part of an inch, whilst 

 the artificial ones we are recommending are between the 

 thirtieth fortieth part of an inch, or more than four 



times the thickness of the handiwork of the bees them- 

 selves. It would, indeed, be vain to attempt to furnish 

 them with sheets of wax at all approaching their own 

 delicate fabric, and our sheets are quite as thin as they 

 can be to bear the handling requisite for fixing them in 

 the hives. We find, however, that the thickness is no dis- 

 advantage ; the bees speedily excavate and ^are the arti- 

 ficial sheet so as to suit their own notions of the substance 

 required ; then, with admirable economy, they use the 

 surplus thus obtained for the construction of the cells. 

 After a sheet has been partly worked at by the bees, 

 it is interesting to hold it up to the light and observe the 



