Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
When the frames are finished and the foundation is in, embed the wire into the wax.
Use a form board, which is available from most suppliers. This board holds all sizes of
frames so the sheet of foundation is supported from beneath. Push the wire down into
the wax from the top side with an embedding tool. Without this kind of support the wire
will push through the wax and ruin the sheet of foundation.
Guide to Frame Assembly
Frame assembly shows nails, nail sizes, eyelets, support pins, and other support struc-
tures (the wedge that holds the foundation to the top bar—a split-bottom bar which has
a slot all the way through that the foundation fits through, and a grooved-bottom bar
that the plastic foundation fits into).
The wiring diagram shows where to fasten the wire on a nail to hold beeswax founda-
tion in place.
The two most important nails in this illustration are the anchor nails that go through
the end bar and into the top bar. These will hold the top bar and end bars together
forever, in spite of the pressure you will put on this joint when lifting a frame from a
sticky box full of honey.
If you are using deep boxes for your brood, you do not need to wire those frames.
Instead, use support pins (essentially a split rivet is inserted instead of wire, with each
side of the split going on either side of the beeswax sheet).
If you are assembling your frames but using plastic foundation, you need to be cer-
tain you have the right frames to start with:
• Make sure the suppliers send you frames with grooved tops and bottoms for the
plastic foundation. The grooves in traditional-style frames are slightly too small for
plastic foundation.
• Look for models with a slot through the top bar and grooves on the sides and bottom
to slide either wax or plastic foundation into.
