1900 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



131 



NATURAL COMBS. 



SINCE the introduction of comb 

 foundation we have become so 

 familiar with straight, parallel 

 combs in the hive that it is interesting 

 to note the peculiar construction of 

 those which result when the bees are 

 permitted to follow their own inclina- 

 tion. The accompanying engraving, 

 affords an interesting study of this 



younger readers have never seen such a 

 specimen of natural comb-building as 

 that herewith presented, which but a 

 few years ago was decidedly more ordin- 

 ary than the hives filled with nice, par- 

 allel combs, which we now see and use 

 daily, without appreciating the great 

 advantages we enjoy through the energy 

 of Mehring, Jacob, Weiss and others, 

 who have aided in giving to the bee- 



NATUKAL COMB-BUILDING. 



natural characteristic of the bee. It 

 also serves to illustrate the fact that 

 two or three old frames, without starters, 

 placed in a hive, do not suffice to pro- 

 duce interchangeable combs. 



We recently bought a number of colo- 

 nies from a man who had used movable- 

 comb hives for many years, and the view 

 is taken from underneath the brood- 

 chamber of one of these. The gentleman 

 complained that moths and general bad 

 luck were so reducing his stock that bee- 

 keeping was no longer profitable. A 

 third glance at the picture may serve, 

 again, to explain why it is that some 

 bee-keepers encounter such general 

 "bad luck." 



It is not improbable that many of our 



keeping world a perfect comb-guide, and 

 one that obliges the bees to construct 

 combs of worker cells throughout. 



"Old Grimes," in American Bee Jour- 

 nal, recommends as a queen excluder 

 between the lower and extracting story 

 of a hive, a solid board without perfora- 

 tion of any kind. A space of three- 

 eighths of an inch is left on all sides, 

 next to the walls, for the passage of the 

 bees. A frame is used to support and 

 strengthen it. 



R. C. Aikin is persuaded that it is 

 almost impossible to secure comb-honey 

 in proper shape for market without 

 the use of separators.— Gteam/igs. 



