The Use and Abuse of Comb Foundation 



That comb foundation has been a boon to bee-keepers, no one doubts ; 

 that money expended in its purchase is often returned many fold is 

 equally true ; but such is not always the case. All through the working 

 season wax is being secreted to a greater or less extent. If not utilized 

 it is lost. Of course, bees that fill themselves full of honey and hang in 

 clustering festoons secrete wax to a very much greater extent than those 

 engaged in bringing in honey. The bees of a swarm will nearly always, 

 if not always, be found with large wax scales in the wax-pockets. Hav- 

 ing found that foundation is used at a profit in some places and at some 

 times, the bee-keeping world seems to have decided, with almost no experi- 

 ments, that bees ought never to be allowed to build comb naturally. 



Years ago I practiced hiving swarms upon empt)- combs, upon foun- 

 dation, and upon empty frames — empty except starters of foundation. 

 The first swarm was hived upon comb, the second upon foundation, and 

 the third upon starters only. This order was continued, the first year 

 it was tried, until fifteen swarms were hived, when the use of empty 

 combs was discontinued, as it was only too evident that they were used 

 at a loss. I have reference here to what was used in the brood-nest in 

 hiving swarms when raising comb honey. The difficulty with drawn 

 combs is just this : Before the queen will lay in old combs, the cells 

 must be cleaned out and "varnished" or polished until they shine ; and 

 long ere this, especially if there is a good flow of honey, they will be badly 

 needed (and will be used) for storage. In other words, combs are 

 ready for honey before they are ready for eggs, and the bees fill the 

 combs at once with honey, when, from some perversity of bee-nature, 

 work, in many instances, comes almost to a standstill. Having filled the 

 body of the hive, the bees seem disinclined to make a start in the sections. 

 Where bees commence storing their surplus, there they seem inclined to 

 continue to store it; and let the bees once get the start of the queen 

 by clogging the brood-nest with honey, and that colony becomes prac- 

 tically worthless for the production of comb honey. 



The advantage of full sheets of foundation over starters, or vice 

 versa, was not so apparent, and, until the close of the season, an equal 

 number of swarms were hived alternately upon full sheets of foundation 

 and upon starters. Enough was proved the first season to show that, 



