IIONEY-COMB. 



265 



IIONEY-COMB. 



up into all parts of the super until there 

 would be no vacant "standing room'' left, 

 one would su pilose that the work of comb- 

 building would begin in all sections at the 

 same time, and progress with almost equal 

 rapidity. But it doesn't. A few sections 

 in the center will be completed before work 

 has been started in some of the outer sec- 

 tions, and nearly all gradations may be ob- 

 served between the extremes. From two 

 supers on a ten-frame hive we selected one- 

 half, that is, 32, as shown in Fig. 7, that ex- 

 hibited seriatim eveiy part of the 

 progress from the first extension 

 of the suggestive nest-egg starter 

 to the completed fancy comb. 

 Another series, almost as well 

 graded, could have been made up 

 from the other 32 sections. Now, 

 why was it that there were not 32 

 or more one-eighth filled, then 

 one-quarter filled, then one-half 

 filled, and so on gradually, all ad- 

 vancing "right dress," and about 

 equally in a uniform line of prog- 

 ress till all had been brought to 

 completion? 



Drone-cells and worker-cells 

 are made from new wax and are 

 at first of pearly whiteness, which 

 soon becomes yellowish. Queen- 

 cells are made mostly from sur- 

 rounding comb, so a queen-cell 

 just completed is aged in appear- 

 ance if on old comb. Almost any 

 material is used, yet not extrava- 

 gantly. So economical are the 

 bees that they " pit" the cell till 

 it has the roughness of a peanut. 

 This arrangement of material 

 gives greater strength than the 

 same amount would give in a 

 layer of uniform thickness— on 

 the principle that a certain 

 amount of material is stronger in 

 a large hollow cylinder than in a smaller 

 one that is solid. 



Bees change readily from the building of 

 worker-cells to drone-cells. They seem to 

 have no trouble in making correct adjust- 

 ments and angles. It is not at all uncom- 

 mon to see a group of drone-cells near ad- 

 joining worker-cells on the same comb. One 

 wonders why the bees change the size of 

 cells. When capped over for honey, both 

 are of the same lieight; but when over l)rood, 

 drone-cell cappings stand above the sur- 

 rounding worker-cells. The cappings of the 

 drone-cells are made stronger by six liracing 



ribs or buttresses. Fig. 6. This gives the 

 whole capping a most beautiful appearance 

 wlien viewed as an opaque object under the 

 microscope. The cappings of both cells, 

 though extremely thin, are not air-tight. It 

 is wonderful to observe how the bees adapt 

 the comb to the form of the hive, often curv- 

 ing it, and sometimes making it cylindrical. 

 In the arrangement of the several combs in 

 a hive there is wonderful provision for the 

 ventilation of every cell, and forthe conven- 

 ience of the workers in the various depart- 



.s^' 



■*^r 







FIG. 6. — DKONE-CEI.LS USED FOR HONEY-STORAGE. 



It will toe seen that tlie lower part of the opening' is capped 

 first. This, witli the slant of the cell, keeps the new honey 

 from running out. 



ments of labor. What a wonderful coinci- 

 dence (or shall we say purpose V) is it that 

 honey-bees do not make their cells of paper 

 as do wasps, yellow-jackets, bumble-bees, 

 and hornets ! If they did so, the luxury of 

 comb honey would be unknown. Honey- 

 bees place their combs perpendicularly. All 

 paper combs with which I am familiar are 

 horizontal. 



SIZK OF DRONE AND WORKER COMB. 



We have said bees build two distinct, regu- 

 lar sizes— drone and worker. Worker comb 

 measures very nearly five cells to the inch, 



