32 THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



this tin place a small lamp. Next obtain an empty condensed 

 milk tin, and half fill it with water ; light the lamp, and place 

 this on top. Now melt a small portion of the wax to be 

 tested, and draw it into a capillary tube (a small glass tube, 

 which can be obtained at any instrument maker's for a nominal 

 sum) ; when cool, stop up each end, and tie it to the bulb of 

 the thermometer ; place them in the water, and wait until it 

 registers about 135° Fahr., then watch the capillary tube. The 

 very instant the wax turns transparent, and darkens, note what 

 the thermometer registers, as that will be the melting-point. 

 If pure, it ought not to register lower than 146° Fahr. ; you 

 must not be particular to one degree with such rough appliances. 

 There are several makes or patterns of foundation, namely : 

 Stock, super, natural base, flat-bottom, drone- size, and thick- wail. 

 With the exception of flat-bottom, the septum or mid-rib of all is 

 exactly the same shape as the bees naturally fashion their cells, 

 but the flat-bottom, being simply a sheet of wax having the shape 

 (hexagonal) of the edges of the comb-cells slightly raised on its 

 surface, the septum is perfectly flat, i.e.. quite unnatural. This 

 latter make appears much thinner than the " natural base." The 

 makers claim that the bees thin it out more perfectly than they do 

 the " natural base." This is not so. The foundation looks better for 

 sale ; that is the only advantage, and a very questionable one to 

 the bee-keeper. Super foundation is made of better-coloured wax, 

 also thinner, than stock, as it is used only in the sectional supers, 

 while stock is kept entirely for the body-box and shallow frame 

 supers. The foundation we advise for use is the ''natural base," 

 both for the body-box and the supers. Sectional supers should be 

 fitted up with thinner foundation, that is, super foundation, which 

 on no account should be made of white wax (usually adulterated), 

 but of yellow, with plenty of honey-like aroma to it. When held 

 up to the light it should be very clear ; if it has a granular appear- 

 ance, after warming, there is almost sure to be an adulterant 

 present. Foundation over twelve months old is exceedingly 

 brittle and hard. This can easily be remedied by thoroughly 

 warming it either before a fire, or, better, by immersing it in water 

 heated to a temperature of from loodeg. to io5deg. Fahr. 



54. Subjugators. — To beginners well knowing the natural 

 irritability of these insects, the most astonishing part of modern 

 bee-keeping is the ease with which an expert handles his 

 charges ; removing combs from the hives covered with bees, 

 taking up handfuls from skeps with bare hands, causing them to 

 perform an exodus from their hive into an empty one placed 

 near. It would be of no use trying thus to get the bees under 

 command unless means had been devised for reducing them into 

 a state of subjection. In order to accomplish this, the bees must 

 be frightened. Now, to frighten or intimidate a bee requires a 

 different course of procedure to the ordinary method of subjugating 



