Won't the Bees Embed the Wire?

[charlescfry]

  I am curious about all the talk of embedding the horizontal wires in frames. If you string the wires tightly, they are close to the foundation. Won't the bees just build comb around and over the wires, thus embedding them for you? I have never messed with heating them in to the foundation and it seems fine, but I have never seen what happens (if anything) that is different with embedded wires...

  So... why go to the trouble of embedding support wires?

[rast]

 From experiance, yes they will embed them quite fine all by theirself if there is a flow going on and they do it quickly. If there is no flow and the foundation sets there in the Fl. summertime heat it will sometimes sag away from the wire and they will make a very crooked comb out of it. Too close to the next foundation and tie the two together.

[Michael Bush]

The purpose of the wires is to hold the wax up.  Wax is a liquid that just moves more slowly the colder it is.  So it sags.  The wire keeps it from sagging until the bees can build on it.  It also helps reinforce it, but old wax is pretty strong without any wire.  You embed it so it the foundation won't sag.