Reference number  
DRS 157: 201 8 
© RSB 2018 
 
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
157 
 
2nd edition  
Published by RSB 2018 -mm-dd 
(Reaffirmed 2018 
Comb foundation sheet  — specification  
 
  DRS 157: 201 8 
©RSB 2018 All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2018 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw  DRS 157: 201 8 
iii                ©RSB 2018- All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Material  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
5 Comb foundation sheets for brood and super frames  ................................ ................................ ...... 2 
6 Other requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  2 
7 Sampli ng ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  2 
8 Packing and marking  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  2 
8.1 Marking  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
Annex  A ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  4 
A.1 Precaution on sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  4 
A.2 Scale of sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 4 
A.3 Test samples  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  5 
A.4 Number of tests  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
A.5 Criteria for conformity ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  5 
 
 
  DRS 157: 201 8 
©RSB 2018 All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards 
adop ted by Technical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards.  
DRS 157 was prepared by Technical Committee RBS/TC 27, Beekeeping and beekeeping products.  
In the preparation of this standard , reference was made to the following standard:  
KS-664-2010, Solar wax extractor -specification.  
The assistance derived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Techn ical Committee on Beekeeping and beekeeping  
products  (RSB/TC 027) in the preparation of this standard.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 DRS 157: 201 8 
1                ©RSB 2018- All rights reserved  
 Comb foundation sheets  — specification  
1 Scope  
This Rwanda Standard specifies the material, sizes and other requirements for comb foundation sheets made 
of beeswax. \ 
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of  their content constitutes 
requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition  cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
CD-K-650-2010, Crude and refi ned beeswax — Specification.  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the follow ing terms and definitions apply   
3.1 
brood frame  
frame made up of a top bar, a bottom bar and two side bars in which the brood is reared  
3.2 
frame  
frame  of wood  to hold a comb[the  frames  are so constructed  that a series  of them  may be placed  in a vertical 
position to the brood chamber or the super chamber so as to leave space (bee space) in between them for 
bees to  move]  
3.3 
super frame  
frame  which has a depth less than that of the brood frame and in which surplus honey is stored.  
4 Material  
The comb foundation sheets shall be made from beeswax complying with KS650 -2010.   
©RSB 2018 All rights reserved                  2 
 5 Comb foundation sheets for brood and super  frames  
The comb foundation sheet s meant to provide a base in brood and super frames of a beehive shall be 
obtained by dipping plain wooden board in pure molten beeswax and then embossing the plain wax sheets so 
obtained with cells.  
6 Other requirements  
6.1. The size of the cells of the comb foundation sheets meant for use in different regions shall be as given in 
Table  1. 
Table 1 — Size of the cells of comb foundation sheets  
 
S/No.  region  Number of cells  Length in mm  
(1) (2) (3) (4) 
i) Higher mountainous regions  10 49 
ii) Moderately hilly regions  10 47 
iii) Savanna conditions  10 45 
iv) Coastal regions  10 43 
6.2. The mass of a comb foundation sheet per 100 cm2shall be between 6 and 7g.  
6.3. The cell embossing shall be deep and their sides shall, have clear and raised  edges.  
7 Sampling  
The method for drawing representative samples of the sheets and criteria for conformity shall be as prescribed 
in Annex A.  
8 Packing and marking  
Packing  
Unlessotherwiseagreedtobetweenthepurchaserandthesupplier,the comb foundationsheets5,10,25,5 0 or 100 in 
number shall be wrapped in grease -proof paper of a suitable plastic sheet and like biodegradable 
polyethylene and packed in a suitable container. Each sheet shall be separated by a cellophane  or trace 
paper to avoid sticking. The sheets should be stored in a clean place so as to avoid any possible 
contamination by insecticides and chemicals toxic to the  honey -bees.  
8.1 Marking  
8.1.1.  Each container shall be suitably marked with the following information:  
a) name of the  material;  DRS 157: 201 8 
3                ©RSB 2018- All rights reserved  
 b) name of the manufacturer, or dealer;  
c) batch or code number;  and 
d) net mass in  g 
 
Figure 1 — Honey comb  
 
©RSB 2018 All rights reserved                  4 
 Annex  A 
Sampling of comb foundation sheets  
A.1 Precaution on  sampling  
A.1.1. Indrawing , storing and handling  samples, the following  precautions  and directions  shall be observed:  
a) while drawing samples, care shall be taken to handle the sheets gently so as to avoid breaking and 
spoiling the  cell-structure;  
b) samples shall be kept in a clean place so as to avoid any  possible contamination; and  
c) Samples  shall be stored in air-tight wooden box and kept in a cool and dry place. The conditions of 
storage shall be such that they do not unduly affect the quality of the material.  
A.2 Scale of sampling  
A.2.1 .Lot: In any consignment, all the containers of the same size and from the same batch of manufacture 
shall constitute a lot. Samples shall be tested for each lot for ascertaining conformity of the material to the 
requirements of this specification.  
A.2.2. The number of containers to be selected from a lot shall depend on the size of the lot and shall be in 
accordance with Table 2. 
Table 2 — Number of containers to be selected for sampling  
Lot size (N)  Number of containers to be selected (n)  
2 ≤ N ≤ 15  2 
16 ≤ N ≤ 40  3 
41 ≤ N ≤ 65  4 
66 ≤ N ≤ 110  5 
111 ≤ N ≤ 250  7 
251 ≤ N  10 
 
A.2.3. The containers to be selected for sampling shall be chosen at random from the lot and for this purpose 
random number tables shall be used. In case such tables are not available the following procedure may bead  
opted.  
Starting from any container, count them  as 1, 2, 3, etc, up to r and so on in a systematic manner. Every th e 
container thus counted shall be withdrawn; r being the integral part of N/n where N is the total number of 
containers in the lot, and n the number of containers to be selected.  DRS 157: 201 8 
5                ©RSB 2018- All rights reserved  
 A.3 Test samples  
From each of the containers selected as in A.2.2, draw at random, one comb foundation sheet for containers 
of size less than 25 and two comb foundation sheets for containers of size greater than 25. Each sheet shall 
constitute a test sample.  
A.4 Number  of tests  
Tests for the determination of various characteristics, as specified in Clauses 5 and 6 shall be made on each 
of the test samples (see A.3).  
A.5 Criteria for  conformity  
A lot shall be considered as conforming to this specification if each of the test  results satisfied the 
corresponding requirements as specified in Clauses 5 and 6.  
   
©RSB 2018 All rights reserved                  6 
 Bibliography  
d) IS 2072:1977(R2004), Specification for Comb Foundation  Sheets  
e) Codex Alimentarius website: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/mrls/pestdes/jsp/pest_q -e.jsp  
f) USDA Agricultural Marketing Service website: http://w ww.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/Standards  
g) USDA Plant Inspectorate Service website: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants  
h) European Union: http://ec.europa.eu/sanco_pesticides/public  
i) USDA Foreign Agricultural Service website: http://www.mrldatabase.com  
 DRS 157: 2018  
ICS 67.060 
 
 
©RSB 2018  - All rights reserved