Page:How to Keep Bees.djvu/116

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HOW TO KEEP BEES

the wire with a tack; care should be taken not to draw the wire too tightly; simply draw up the slack.

The sheets of foundation as sold by the dealers are a little smaller than the space in the frame, so that when they are fastened to the top bar a bee-space is left between the sheet and the bottom and end bars. See Plate XII.

The sheet of foundation is fastened to the top bar of an ordinary frame by means of a Van Deusen wax-tube fastener, which is simply a hollow tube that may be dipped in and filled with the hot wax which issues through a small hole at the sharp, bent end of the tube; as the point is drawn along where the foundation and frame meet it leaves a stream of hot wax that seals the two together. However, the most satisfactory way is to get brood-frames, like the Hoffman, which have two grooves in the top bar. Set the foundation in the groove at the centre, and introduce a strip of wood which is wedge-shaped in cross-section, thin edge first, into the adjoining groove, driving it or pressing it in hard so that it pushes the thin partition over, and wedges the foundation firmly in place. These strips for wedging come with the frames.

After the foundation is fastened to the top bar the frame and foundation are laid, wire side up, on a board just the size of the piece of foundation so that it will slip inside the frame. This board is kept wet to prevent the wax from sticking to it. Then we use the spur wire-embedder, which is like the tracing-wheel used by dressmakers, except that the teeth