. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. 428 I next used foundation 8 inches in widtli, ?witli mucli the same result, after which I tried 7 inches and 6 inches in widtli, which gave more satisfactory results. The 7 inch strips would sag enough to find a row or more of drone-brood occasionally; but when used only 6 inches or less in width, and made of pure beeswax, the slight sagging did not prevent the queen from lilling them in every instance with worker eggs. But now a new difliculty presented itself; below this narrow strip of foundation, the bees would frequently build drone-comb, and th
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. 428 I next used foundation 8 inches in widtli, ?witli mucli the same result, after which I tried 7 inches and 6 inches in widtli, which gave more satisfactory results. The 7 inch strips would sag enough to find a row or more of drone-brood occasionally; but when used only 6 inches or less in width, and made of pure beeswax, the slight sagging did not prevent the queen from lilling them in every instance with worker eggs. But now a new difliculty presented itself; below this narrow strip of foundation, the bees would frequently build drone-comb, and the much desired sheet of " every cell of worker size" seemed yet in the future. A remedy came at last. My frames hold a comb 12 inches square, and, finding I could not use foundation over 6 inches in depth successfully, I divided the comb space in the frame, in 2 equal parts, by placing a temporary center bar into it; I next fastened a piece of foundation 5% inches in width to the top and a similar piece below the cen- ter bar, and I had it. But what about that center bar? Doesn't it occupy space that ought to be filled with brood, &c ? Easy, friends ; I had my lesson in center bars 15 years ago. These center bars of which I write, are placed in the frame and fastened with one % inch finishing nail in each end, the head of which sligiitly projects on the outside of the frame ends ; and as soon as the comb is built, and sufficiently strong to support itself by the side fastenings, the nails are drawn out, a knife passed under the center bar, and the bar withdrawn. In one or two daj^s the space occupied by the center bar is filled with worker comb. In this manner I have obtained over 300 combs, each a foot square, built solid without a single drone-cell; and have several hundred combs in the hives, that still have the cen- ter-bar left in, being filled witli honey and deemed insufticiently strong, being built late in the season ; but otherwise are all worker-comb. Fr
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
