30 Sept., 1912.] 



Bec-ki'cpifii;^ in Victoria. 



531 



the resulting comb showed that nearly one-half of the total was newly- 



•secreted wax. 



As half the wax composing the combs is given to the bees and the other 



Lhalf secreted by them, it follows that without any interference with their 

 natural functions, double the amount of comb is produced in a given time, 

 thus bringing the colony much sooner into the condition for storing surplus 

 honey. The speed of comb-building is also accelerated by the larger surface 



•to work ujjon presented by full sheets as compared to combs from .starters. 



3. Stronger and Straighter Combs. 

 The importance of good combs for the raising of brood as well as for 

 <extracting cannot be overestimated. Even under the mo.st favorable con- 

 ditions, the combs built from starters are rarely equal to those from full 

 sheets for either purpose. To get the full benefit of the frame-hive system, 

 all combs should be interchangeable without in any way interfering with 

 ■their utility. This result can only be obtained when the combs are perfectly 

 :straight. The correct spacing of the brood combs is if inch from centre to 

 'Centre; this distance is necessarv to allow of all the cells being used for 

 (ttrood, e\en when the combs are rjuite straight. When crooked combs are 



FIG. 



-COMB SHOWING CELLS SEALED BY THE BEES. 



Interchanged, the projecting portions prevent that part of the adjoining 

 comb immediately opposite being occupied by brood. This also occurs 

 in combs adjoining drone-brood. To get the maximum number of worker 

 fcees reared in the combs of the brood chamber, they should not only be of 

 all worker cells, but also perfectly straight. When the surplus honey is 

 taken by means of the extractor, and the empty combs returned to the hive 

 to be refilled bv the bees over and over again, straight combs are not only 

 much easier to uncap, but suffer less damage in the process than crooked 

 combs, particularlv those built from starters, while much time is saved to 

 the operator in uncapping and to the bees in repairing damaged combs. 

 Combs built from full sheets of foundation are also less liable to melt and 

 loreak down in hot weather, owing to the stronger midrid in the comb and 

 the fastening to the bottom bar of the frame, and no bee-keeper should 

 -use starters except under conditions as set forth below. 



Worker Comb from Starters. 



To get workei comb built from starters, it is necessary to understand 



-the factors governing comb-building, ^^'orker comb is built so long as cells 



are required by the queen to deposit worker eggs in ; under all other con- 



"ditions more or less drone comb is produced. The production of worker 



