214 
COMB FOUNDATION 
THE WOOD-SPLINT PLAN. 
Dr. C. C. Miller of Marengo, Ill., over¬ 
came the difficulty of cells next to the top- 
bar stretching, by using wooden splints in¬ 
stead of wires. These he secured in the 
manner described in his “Fifty Years 
Among the Bees.” 
The splints should be about 1/16 inch 
square and about 14 inch shorter than the 
inside depth of the frame. A bunch of them 
should be thrown into a square shallow tin 
pan that contains hot beeswax. They will 
froth up because of the moisture frying out 
of them. When frothing ceases, and the 
splints are saturated with wax, they are 
ready for use. The frame of foundation is 
laid on the board as before. With a pair of 
pliers a splint is lifted out of the wax (kept 
just hot enough over a gasoline stove), and 
placed upon the foundation so that the 
splint shall be perpendicular when the frame 
is hung in the hive. As fast as a splint is 
laid in place, an assistant immediately 
presses it down into the foundation with 
the wetted edge of a board. About 114 
has been built down, but the cells not very 
fully drawn out, they will do more or less 
at gnawing a passage. To make a success 
the frames should be given at a time when 
work goes on uninterruptedly until full- 
depth cells reach the bottom-bar. 
Under some conditions the bees will 
gnaw around the wooden stays, as shown 
by the illustration. This occurs more par¬ 
ticularly when bees have not much to do; 
and when they run across anything which 
is fibrous they will then show a disposition 
to remove it. 
The suggestion has been made that in no 
case should the splints be allowed to pro¬ 
ject beyond the edge of the foundation: or, 
better still, the sheet should reach clear to 
the bottom-bar. 
But, there is no reason why the founda¬ 
tion should not expand between the vertical 
splints the same as it expands between the 
vertical wires. While Dr. Miller says that 
inches from each end-bar is placed a splint, 
and between these two splints three others 
at equal distance. When these are built 
out they make beautiful combs, and the 
splints do not seem to be at all in the way. 
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 combs be the floor board of the hive or 
the bottom-bar of the frames. So if a frame 
be given when little storing is going on, 
the bees will deliberately dig away the 
foundation at the bottom; and even if it 
lie has had no trouble of that sort, it is 
because he uses foundation heavy enough 
so that he overcomes this stretching or ex¬ 
panding. As the wooden supports prevent 
the sagging of the foundation or the comb 
only after it is drawn out, and do not se¬ 
cure the comb to the frame, it may be a 
question whether it is not safer and more 
satisfactory all around to use wires pre¬ 
viously shown, especially if one is going to 
do very much extracting or intends to ship 
or move bees to any extent. The splints only 
prevent the sagging of the foundation while 
being drawn out, but during moving or 
extracting do not hold the comb securely 
like wires threaded thru the end-bars, as 
shown on previous pages. 
