>  Do you buy this foundation with "extra wax"?

During the seventies, I made beeswax foundation and sold bee supplies at a
little factory near San Diego. I can tell you a bit about foundation, as
well as beeswax, if you ever want to know.

Human made foundation is very thick and clumsy compared to the beautiful
thin structure of honey bee comb. Even so called thin foundation has more
wax than the bees deem necessary.

So -- they sculpt the foundation down to the thickness they want and use the
excess wax to form the sides of the cells. Back then, before plastics, we
sold a lot of "heavy" foundation. I think this has at least enough wax in it
for the entire comb.

In other words, using heavy foundation bees can build the entire comb
without secreting any wax, and immediately store honey in it. This is at
once an energy savings for them, a gain in honey yield for us.

It also means that they will build comb under less than ideal conditions.
Richard Taylor describes the ideal comb building conditions in his book:
"during the midsummer honey flows when the weather is warm".

By the way, he used the "shook swarm" method to raise comb honey. It
simulates a new swarm that is newly hived. We know that a new swarm is great
for getting new combs built.

Peter Borst
Danby NY

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---