3IO 



Value of Foundation, 



equal to the desired width of the strips of comb foundation 

 to be cut. 



For cutting smaller sheets for the sections the same 

 device may be used. I saw Mr. Jones cut these as fast as 

 a boy would cut circular wads for his shot-gun, by use of 

 a sort of modified cake cutter (Fig. 123). 



USE OF FOUNDATION. 



Unless to force the bees into sections, when, as we have 

 seen, it is better to hive swarms on empty frames, with 

 mere starters, we better always use foundation in brood 

 frames. It is astonishing to see how rapidly the bees will 



Fig. 133. 



Fig. 123. 



extend the cells, and how readily the queen will stock them 

 with eggs. T'he foundations should always be the right 

 size for worker comb. Even for surplus comb honey the 

 small cells are best. The honey evaporates more quickly, 

 and so will be sooner caj^ped, and it looks better. For 

 brood combs I prefer wired frames. The sheet of founda- 

 tion should not quite fill the frame. The advantage of 

 foundation is, first, to insure worker comb, and thus worker 

 brood, and second, to furnish straight, nice combs. We 

 have proved in our apiary repeatedly, that by use of foun- 

 dation, and a little care in pruning out the drone comb, we 

 could limit or even exclude drones from our hives, and we 

 have but to examine the capacious and constantly crowded 



