FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 89 



A little experience will enable one to judge, when 

 putting in the splints, how hot to keep the wax. If too 

 hot there will be too light a coating of wax. 



It must not be understood that the mere use of these 

 splints will under any and all circumstances result in 

 faultless combs built securely down to the bottom-bar. It 

 seems to be the natural thing for bees to leave a free 

 passage under the comb, no matter whether the thing 

 that comes next below the comb be the floor-board of the 

 hive or the bottom-bar of the frame. So if a frame be 

 given when little storing is going on, the bees will de- 

 liberately dig away the foundation at the bottom; and 

 even if it has been built down but the cells not very fully 

 drawn out, they will do more or less at gnawing a pass- 

 age. To make a success, the frames should be givfen at 

 a time when work shall go on uninterruptedly until full- 

 depth cells reach the bottom-bar. 



To a very limited extent I have used strips of wax 

 instead of wood, but it is doubtful as to the improvem.ent 

 without using too much wax. 



In Fig. 32 will be seen two such frames of splinted 

 foundation that have been built out and filled with honey. 

 The upper one is built out solid to the frame all around, 

 while the lower one has a hole at one of the lower corners, 

 through which a queen can play hide-and-seek. 



In Fig. 33 are two that have been built out and filled 

 with brood. They are built out solid to the wood, except- 

 ing one hole in each at one of the lower corners, but these 

 two holes are covered up by the fingers so that you cannot 

 see them. Look carefully at the frame at the left hand, 

 and you will see at least three places where the capping is 

 slightly elevated, because of the splints beneath. 



BROOD TO THE TOP-BAR. 



Incidentally your attention may be called to this comb 

 as a fine specimen of one well filled with brood. It is 



