132 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



fastened to the window with the spare wax. This 

 being accomphshed, the bees removed the horizontal 

 pillars first constructed as being of no further use."* 

 A similar anecdote is told by M. Huber. " Dur- 

 ing the winter," says he, " a comb in one of my 

 bell-glass hives, having been originally insecure, fell 

 down, but preserved its position parallel to the rest. 

 The bees were unable to fill up the vacuity left above 

 it, because they do not build combs of old wax, and 

 none new could be then obtained. At a more favour- 

 able season they would have ingrafted a new comb 

 on the old one; but now their provision of honey 

 could not be spared for the elaboration of this sub- 

 stance, which induced them to ensure the stability 

 of the comb by another process. 



'^ Crowds of bees taking wax from the lower part 

 of other combs, and even gnawing it fi'om the sur- 

 face of the orifices of the deepest cells, they con- 

 structed so many irregular pillars, joists, or but- 

 tresses, between the sides of the fallen comb, and 

 others on the glass of the hive. All these were arti- 

 ficially adapted to localities. Neither did they con- 

 fine themselves to repairing the accidents which their 

 works had sustained. They seemed to profit by 

 the warning, to guard against a similar casualty. 



'' The remaining combs were not displaced; there- 

 fore, while solidly adhering by the base, we were 

 greatly surprised to see the bees strengthen their 

 principal fixtures with old wax. They rendered 

 them much thicker than before, and fabricated a 

 number of new connexions, to unite them more 

 firmly to each other, and to the sides of their dwelling. 

 All this passed in the middle of January, a time that 

 these insects commonly keep in the upper part of 

 their hive, and when work is no longer seasonable, "f 



M. Huber the younger shrewdly remarks, that 



* Bevan on Bees, p. 326. t Huber on Bees, p. 416. 



