Apiary Experiments: Foundation in Comb Building by Clarence P. Gillette investigates how bees use artificial wax foundation when constructing comb. Published in May 1900 as Bulletin 54 of the Agricultural College of Colorado’s Experiment Station, it combines observations, measurements, tables and illustrated plates.
The main question is practical: how much work and material does foundation save, and how does its form affect the comb eventually produced? Gillette treats this as a subject for comparison and measurement rather than accepting general claims about equipment.
What happens to supplied wax?
The opening distinguishes honey collection from wax production. Bees collect nectar and other sweet liquids, while the wax used for comb is produced by the bees themselves. That difference gives the experiments their economic setting.
The first test asks whether bees use wax from foundation to extend cell walls and the central partition of the comb. Foundation prepared with added coloring allows the movement of supplied material to be followed.
The account describes what was placed in the hive and what appeared in the completed comb. This makes the reasoning visible: the reader can compare the experimental arrangement with the conclusion drawn from it.
Gillette’s questions continue into the relationship between foundation weight and finished comb. Does a heavier sheet simply become a heavier comb, or do the bees change its structure as they work?
Measuring the central partition
Much of the bulletin concerns the midrib, the central wall between cells facing in opposite directions. Different manufactured foundations are compared with naturally built comb.
The tables record weights and dimensions. Cross-sectional illustrations show the central partition and cell walls, allowing readers to see differences that would be difficult to describe in words alone.
The discussion notes variation between samples and the difficulty of drawing reliable conclusions from very small quantities of wax. This attention to uncertainty is an interesting feature of the report.
Foundation age and manufacture also matter. Gillette identifies particular kinds of foundation and examines whether the bees reduce or retain the material supplied. The experiments concern those samples under their observed conditions.
Cell walls and finished comb
The report also asks whether bees thin or remodel cell walls. It compares the thickness and amount of wax in comb developed from different foundations.
Several plates reproduce sections of comb and enlarged details. Some are printed sideways, and their explanations appear later in the bulletin. Reading the captions together with the relevant argument is essential.
This is a useful historical example of studying a familiar craft material scientifically. Foundation was already an ordinary beekeeping supply, but the report examines what actually happens to it inside the hive.
Foundation in comb-honey sections
The practical implications become especially clear in the discussion of comb honey. Small wooden sections could be fitted with different amounts and arrangements of foundation or starter strips.
Gillette compares the way bees complete these sections, considering attachment, appearance and the amount of wax in the finished product. The illustrated examples make it possible to compare full sheets with smaller starters.
Separators between sections are also considered. They affect the shape and regularity of the completed comb, connecting equipment arrangement with the appearance of honey prepared for sale.
A table compares the proportions of honey and wax in capped comb. This extends the inquiry beyond how quickly a comb is built to what the eventual buyer receives.
Additional experiments and conclusions
A short section on pollen substitutes reports comparisons of materials offered to bees. It includes chemical information and recognizes that attractiveness and usefulness are not necessarily the same thing.
The summary gathers the principal conclusions into numbered points. Explanations of the plates help readers return to the visual evidence without searching through the whole text.
This free ebook suits beekeeping historians, readers interested in beeswax and comb construction, and anyone studying early agricultural experiments. It is a focused research bulletin rather than a general guide to keeping colonies.
The PDF contains 38 digital pages, including binding material and plates. The original numbered sequence reaches page 28. Enlarge the tables and cross-sections and rotate sideways plates. Findings should be understood as results from historical equipment and experiments, with modern products evaluated on their own evidence.
Book details
- Author: Clarence P. Gillette
- Publisher: Agricultural Experiment Station of the Agricultural College of Colorado, Fort Collins
- Year: 1900
- Edition: Bulletin 54; May 1900
- Digital length: 38 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 1.14 MB
