BEE. 
*297 
useless, and employ it again; but this can only 
be with combs that have had no bees hatched in 
them, for the wax cannot be separated from the 
silk afterwards. Reaumur supposed that they new 
worked up the old materials, because he found the 
covering of the chrysalis of a yellower colour 
than the other parts of the new comb; but this is 
always so, whether they have old yellow comb to 
work up, or not, as will be shewn. 
“ The bees udio g3.ther the farina also form the 
w-ax, for I found it between their scales. 
“ The cells, or rather the congeries of cells, 
which compose the comb, may be said to form 
perpendicular plates, or partitions, which extend 
from top to bottom of the cavity in which they 
build them, and from side to side. They always 
begin at the top, or roof of the vault, in which 
they build, and work downwards; but if the upper 
part of this vault, to w’hich their combs are fixed, 
is removed, and a dome is put over, they begin at 
the upper edge of the old comb, and work up into 
the new cavity at the top. They generally may 
be guided as to the direction of their new plates 
of comb, by forming ridges at top, to which they 
begin to attach their comb. In a long hive, if 
these ridges are longitudinal, their plates of comb 
will be longitudinal ; if placed transverse, so w ill 
be the plates; and if oblique, the plates of comb 
will be oblique. Each plate consists of a double 
set of cells, whose bottoms form the partition 
between each set. The plates themselves are not 
very regularly arranged, not forming a regular 
