86 
TITE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL, 
for use in section-boxes, as it can be made 
lighter, and the bees are sure to alter it to the 
shape and thickness of natural comb. 
“ Besides the foundation machine, the appa- 
ratus necessary for its manufacture consists of 
a dipping-can, one or two vessels in which to 
keep up a constant supply of melted wax, and 
two dipping-boards. Each vessel intended to 
hold the wax should be surrounded by an outer 
vessel containing water; this is necessary to 
prevent the wax from burning. 
“If Langstroth sheets are required, the dip- 
ping-can should not be less than about 18 inches 
x 3x12 or 13 inches deep. This size will hold 
about 20 lbs. of wax. the dipping-boards 
should be about 16 inches x 19 inches. They 
be may about half an inch thick, and should be 
brought to an edge at each side. We dip them 
by means of nails, two of which are driven into 
each edge of the board near the corner, allowing 
them to project about an inch, so that the board 
may be reversed without taking hold of the 
wood itself, which would injure the sheet. The 
reason for reversing the board is that the wax, 
when cooling, runs to the lower edge of the 
board, and sets there about twice as thickly as 
on the upper part. 1 he number of dips required 
depends upon the temperature ofthe wax, which 
must be regulated to a nicety. When at the 
right heat four dips will produce a sheet of 
about five and a-half to six square feet to the 
pound. If a little too hot, six dips may be 
required. The thickness ofthe sheet may also 
be regulated by the rapidity with which the 
board is immersed and withdrawn. 
“ 1 he boards require soaking in water for 
several hours before using them, to prevent 
the wax from sticking tightly to them ; and 
they will sometimes require scraping, to 
remove wax which has soaked into the wood, 
and to produce a smooth surface. The water 
in which they must be dipped each time before 
lowering them into the wax should be quite 
warm ; if not, it will cool the boards too much, 
and the consequent rapid cooling ofthe sheets 
of wax will most likely crack them. 
“ Having our dipping-can full of melted wax 
sufficiently cool, and our boards well soaked, 
we proceed as follows Taking hold ofthe 
two projecting nails on one edge of the board, 
we quickly plunge it into the melted wax, 
and instantly withdrawing it, hold it over the 
wax until it has ceased to drip, when it is 
dipped again, receiving a fresh coat of wax, 
which is, however, much thicker at the lower 
edge of the board. It is then reversed and 
dipped twice more in that position, which pro- 
duces an even sheet all over the board. A 
blunt knife is then passed round the board to 
scrape the wax from the edges, and one end 
ofthe sheet is loosened, by which time it is 
sufficiently cool to peel off in one piece. A 
sheet is of course obtained from each side of 
the board, which is then immersed in water 
and again dipped into the wax. As soon as 
the wax gets too low it is replenished from the 
melting cans on the fire, and if the room is not 
too cold the addition of this hot wax will warm 
the whole sufficiently to counteract the cooling 
of that left in the dipping-can. 
“ The sheets, if placed in a pile, will retain 
their heat for several hours. When first taken 
from the boards they are much loo soft to be 
rolled, and if allowed to remain too long they 
become hard and brittle, when the rollers will 
cut right through them. 
“ Soap or starch is used to prevent the sheets 
from sticking to the rollers We usually mix 
some strong soapsuds in a shallow tin large 
enough to take a whole sheet. Tbe first two or 
three sheets should be passed completely 
through the soapy water ; but as soon as the 
rollers become thoroughly wet, it will be found 
sufficient, to dip only a few inches of one end of 
sheet. 
“ All that now remains to he done is to cut 
the foundation to the required size. This is 
done by placing on the sheet, or a small pile 
of sheets, a hoard of the right dimensions, and 
cutting round if with a keen knife. The 
board should be edged with tin, to prevent its 
beingeut Foundation, as usually sold for Lang- 
stroth and other frames, is often cut too small. 
A sheet which comes within one-eighth of an 
inch of the end and bottom bars of a wired 
frame will be joined to the wood all round by 
the bees, forming a comb which completely fills 
the frame, and which, besides economising 
space, is much stronger than one hanging 
mainly from the top bar.'’ 
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS. 
Beekeeping for Beginners, 
In the Southern parts of Australia bees gather 
food all the year round (except in the higher 
regions where snow and frost hold their sway 
for several weeks in the winter,) so that we 
find them flying out for water, honey, or pollen 
on every fine day throughout the winter months. 
The queen, however, lays eggs very sparingly 
alter March or April until July or August, 
according to the mildness ofthe season, when, 
if all is well and strong in the hive, she will 
generally rapidly increase the number of eggs 
in proportion to the strength of the hive, or, 
in oth< r moods, to the number of bees there 
are to care for them when they hatch. If, 
therefore, the season be fair and mild, and his 
stocks fairly strong and healthy, beginner will 
find the number of bees begin to increase rapidly^ 
by the middle or end of August ; by the middle 
