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From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:48:46 -0400
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> I would think that black wax when "pulled" would be 
> gray/off white a it gets thinner.

> Having said that Jim F has occasionally suggest to people who 
> doubt that bees "draw foundation out" use a sheet of the colored 
> stuff and see what they get.

> Has anyone done this with some of the more vibrant colors?

Hi. Jim F here, and yes, I've done it with the stuff Dadant sells
for rolling those tacky-looking candles.  It was years ago, and
I think the color was orange.

I can't find the photos I took, but the resulting 10-frame-width 
comb was orange nearly all the way out to the cell edges.  Yes, 
the overall comb color was a fainter/lighter hue that the untouched 
foundation, and sure, the bees certainly do add some of their 
own wax flakes to the comb.  I pulled the frame out before they 
were done, as I did not want to find out what the dye in the wax 
would do to brood, nectar, and such.

But this is a game that any number of people can play.

That said, I like wax-coated plastic foundation for honey supers,
and the higher your maximum extractor RPM, the more you like it.
Newton's Second Law hates wax comb filled with honey.

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