Wax foundation

Wax foundation or honeycomb base is a plate made of wax with the base of the honeycomb. It is used in beekeeping to give the bees a foundation on which they can build the honeycomb. Wax foundation is considered one of the most important inventions in modern beekeeping.

Honeycomb built on wax foundation has important advantages over natural honeycomb:

Wax foundation was invented by German Johannes Mehring in 1857, not long after Langstroth constructed the Langstroth hive (1851). Mehring's wax foundation had only the bottom of the cells, and today's base with the foundation of the cells was invented by US beekeeper Samuel Wagner.

At first, wax foundations were made in the wax foundation press. The first presses were made of wood, while later presses could be made of plaster, cement, and finally metal, which are the ones used today. Wagner also invented the wax foundation rollers, but never perfected them; the first usable rollers were made by Amos Root and precise mechanic Alva Washburn in 1875. In 1895. Detroit inventor Edward Weed invented rollers that can make wax foundation in a continuous roll.

A frame has to be wired so that the wax foundation could be inserted into it. The foundation is then soldered with the wire by using a spur embedder or electric current. Also extant are wax foundations with embedded wire that only need to be inserted into the frame.

If the wax foundation is used to produce raw honeycomb, wiring is not needed, but the foundation is affixed to the honeycomb section directly. Special thin wax foundations are used for the production of the raw honeycomb.

Wax foundations are made in various sizes, depending on the frame they will be inserted into. If needed, roller knife is used to cut wax foundations.

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Wikipedia