930 
WIRING FOUNDATION 
reason that the wires passing thru the end- 
bars, or top or bottom bars, are used ex¬ 
tensively by beekeepers everywhere, and 
not because they are trying to prevent sag¬ 
ging or stretching of the comb itself while 
being drawn out. 
For several years back several experi¬ 
ments have been conducted to make a foun¬ 
dation before it is put into a frame so it 
will not stretch. Some 35 years ago, J. 
Van Deusen & Sons, in New York, made a 
foundation that had vertical wires incorpor¬ 
ated in it during the process of manufac¬ 
ture. This foundation had a flat base or 
flat bottom, and for that reason it was 
never extensively used, because the base 
was unnatural, and had to be reconstructed 
by the bees. 
In later years, at various times, efforts 
have been made to incorporate vertical 
wires, or semi-vertical wires, in the ordinary 
or natural-base foundation, the purpose of 
the wires being to prevent the sheet from 
stretching; but as there was no method of 
fastening these wires already in the foun¬ 
dation to the frames themselves the scheme 
never became very popular. During 1922, 
however, Dadant & Sons introduced to the 
beekeeping world a vertically wired foun¬ 
dation. This differed from the foundation 
tom-bar it is advised that a top and bottom 
horizontal wire be used to hold these sheets 
in place; and it may be questioned whether 
four horizontal wires would not be better. 
Experience has shown, however, that 
when vertical or diagonal wires cross hori¬ 
zontal wires there is some tendency on the 
part of the bees to gnaw holes in the wax 
at the point of intersection. This is more 
apparent some seasons than others, and es¬ 
pecially during a dearth of honey. These 
holes, however, will be closed up after a 
good flow the following season, but some¬ 
times with drone-cells in place of worker. 
THE THREE-PLY COMB FOUNDATION. 
During 1922 the A. I. Root Company 
perfected a three-ply comb foundation 
Three-ply comh foundation having middle ply 
of harder wax. 
which they had tested out extensively dur¬ 
ing the season under conditions when bees 
would be liable to make holes at the points 
Dadant wired foundation, showmg'how the corrugated wires are imbedded in the 
foundation ; 
put out by the Van Deusens in two re¬ 
spects. First, the base of the cell walls 
was pointed; and, second, the wires were 
larger and corrugated to make them stiffer. 
By the use of a grooved wedge top-bar and 
and a split bottom-bar it is claimed that 
these sheets of wax with vertical wires will 
be held in place. Without the split bot- 
the factory. 
of intersection where diagonal wires cross 
horizontal wires in ordinary wiring. The 
center ply consists of a pure beeswax 
toughened by the addition of a small per¬ 
centage of vegetable wax. The two out¬ 
side plies are made of extra soft pure 
beeswax. It is constructed on what is 
known in the arts as laminated steel, such 
