On 24 April, James Fischer asked: "How could hand-wiring frames, and imbedding wax foundation into the
wires be considered "simple"?

Certainly sounds difficult.  It was an old American habit I believe.  Doubt any book published in UK has mentioned it in the last 50 years - we have moved on, progressively.  Almost all foundation here is beeswax, if wired then bought prewired. Suits the 22,000 hobbyists very well. Quite a few beekeepers here produce honey as cut comb , using thin unwired wax foundation. Very easy, no need for an extractor, slow to granulate, absolutely delicious. Wouldn't like to eat American cut comb,  with a sheet of plastic down the middle.  

James also said:" Wired wax foundation, when placed into a solar melter will yield
wires coated with charred material that must be cleaned by hand to
avoid ending up with supers of "Bar-B-Q Flavored" honey and/or
enough ash to make one's "Italian" bees look like Carniolans."  

Well yes, it probably would . But what a dumb way to do it.  You just cut out the whole comb , wires and all, and refit another wired sheet.  Why make all these odd suggestions only to knock them down?  Who is it helping? 

Robin Dartington.  

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::