BEE MANUAL. 16S 



sheets of foundation while they are being impressed. A frame 

 already wired is placed over the lower plate and a sheet of wax 

 on the wires ; the plates are put through the usual process, 

 and the sheet comes out wired and fastened in 'the frame. 

 The Given press numbers among its friends many of the 

 leading bee-keepers of America. 



DRONE CELL FOUNDATION. 



All the machines now manufactured, whether of the roller 

 or press description, are made to impress worker-sized eells, 

 unless specially ordered for drone cells. It was at first thought 

 that the larger cells would be advantageous in the surplus 

 boxes, and a number of drone comb machines were sold ; but 

 it was found that the use of such foundation encouraged the 

 breeding of too many drones and the consequent occupation of 

 the surplus boxes by the queen — two things which it is im- 

 portant to guard against. I had given this matter some 

 thought when ordering my first machine in 1878, and decided 

 not to order a second one for drone cells, as I anticipated that 

 the use of drone comb would result, as it has proved to do, in 

 a disadvantage. I find no difficulty in obtaining as much good 

 drone comb as I desire by the following method. During the 

 height of the honey season place a few frames, with only 

 starters of foundation, in the top boxes ; the bees will, at that 

 time, work them out at once with drone comb and fill them 

 with honey before the queen has an opportunity to take charge 

 of them for the purpose of egg laying. 



PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE. 



The wax used for this purpose must be not only pure beeswax, 

 as already stated, but must also be • as clean as possible; any 

 dirt mixed with the wax tends to make the foundation brittle. 

 When melting the wax a double boiler should always be used, 

 the inner one for the wax and the outer one for water, in order 

 to prevent the wax from burning ; burnt wax is of no use for 

 foundation. To make rapid work two such double boilers 

 should be used, one in which the wax is melted from its cold 

 state, the other to be kept supplied with melted wax at the 

 proper temperature and used as a dipping boiler. The next 

 things needed are a tub of cold water, two or more dipping 



