THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



179 



For tho American Bcc Journal aud Gazette. 



The Value of Combs. 



My experience leads me to think that the 

 mass of bee-keepers place by far too little value 

 upon the empty combs. Their full value can 

 only be realized hy the use of movable comb- 

 hives In the summer of 1803 our bees in Wis- 

 consin gathered a very limited quantity and a 

 very poor quality of honey. The following 

 winter Avas very severe, and the mortality 

 among the bees was the greatest ever known 

 in the State. In uniting my stocks for winter 

 1 had a large number of frames filled with 

 empty combs. I had also a considerable ad- 

 dition to this number from the hives of th?>5e 

 that perished during the Avinter. These were 

 carefully preserved and made use of by giving 

 more or less of them to artificial and naturai 

 swarms in the summer of 1804. It was sur- 

 prising to see how soon a swarm would fill the 

 breeding chamber of the hive with stores when 

 supplied with combs, and go to work in the 

 surplus boxes. Two swarms that came off re- 

 spectively on the third and fourth days of July 

 were each supplied with ten frames neai'ly 

 filled with empty combs, some of which con- 

 tained bee-bread. From each of these hives I 

 removed two comb-frames filled with honoy, 

 and surplus boxes holding from thirty to thirty- 

 five pounds. Both hives filled the empty comb- 

 frames with comb, but one of them stored little 

 honey in them. In the fall both w^erc populous 

 with bees, and in good condition for wintering. 



Two or three days later two other equally po- 

 pulous swarms that came olf I gave no combs. 

 They spent so much time in comb-building that 

 they scarcely laid in stoi'es sufficient for their 

 winter food. 



I am aware that tw^o or three days in the 

 height of the honey harvest makes many pounds 

 difl'erence in the amount of honey stored; but 

 this will not account for the difl'erence, as still 

 later swarms that I supplied with combs stored 

 sufficient honey for Avinter. The season was a 

 moderately good one. Every experiment I 

 have tried has convinced me more and more of 

 the utility of saving combs. Of two swarms, 

 nearly equal — as may be — the one supplied Avith 

 combs, came out a long way ahead of the one 

 that had its OAvn to build. 



The value of good combs in movable frames 

 for the use of the bees is many times greater 

 than their mercantile value, reduced to wax. 



Every bee-keeper should be careful to pre- 

 serve all the good brood-combs for the use of 

 his SAvarms. All white clean pieces should be 

 cemented into the surplus honey-boxes. Only 

 refuse -comb should be melted into Avax. 



If the movable frame of Mr. Langstrotli was 

 of no other service, its value in enabling the 

 bee-keeper to preserve his combs for future use 

 Avould be a great boon. Its general adoption 

 in the United Slates might be made to save mil- 

 lions of pounds of honey now Avasted by bees 

 in constructing comb. 



L. L. Fajkchild. 



Rolling Prairie, Wis., Feb. 11, 1807. 



[From the Mouut Holly (N. J.) Mirror.] 



Lecture on Bees. 



Burlington County Lyceum. — At the re- 

 gular mpnthly meeting on Saturday afternoon 

 last, Prof. James E. Giffin, of Muorestown, de- 

 livered an interesting lecture upon The Bee — 

 the diliercnt classes, their habits and peculiaii- 

 ties. He called attention to the structure of the 

 honey-comb, shoAving that the cells are so 

 formed as to hold the greatest quantity of 

 honey Avith the least Avax in their Avails, and 

 that the base of each cell has a firm support upon 

 the junction of three others. The number of 

 bees in a SAvarm A'aries from 25,000 to 50,000, 

 including from 500 to 600 drones, Avhose only 

 office appears to be the perpetuation of the spe- 

 cies. It is still a matter of doubt how it is that 

 the queen should lay eggs, some of Avhich hatch 

 into neuter or Avorking bees, Avhile others be- 

 come drones or perhaps queens. It has been 

 supposed by some that this Avas OAving to their 

 being deposited in dilTereut kinds of cells, or 

 fed Avhile in thelarvte state Avilh dill'erent food. 

 The Professor intimated his disbelief in both 

 these theories. 



Bees, he said, should be alloAved to build their 

 comb downAvard, which they Avill ahvays do in 

 their Avild or natural state. The old comb 

 should be removed every j'ear, as tlie cells, 

 Avhen used a second time, are lessened in size, 

 and a dwarfish insect is produced. 



The political economy of the hive is a very in- 

 teresting subject. Devotedly attached to their 

 queen, the Avorking-bees guard and cherish her 

 Avith the greatest solicitude. A cordon of sen- 

 tinels reaches from outside the hive to her 

 throne Avilhin, to Avatch tor the common enemy, 

 the bee-moth, and to protect her from danger. 

 No storm of Avind or rain can driA^e them fiom 

 their posts, and every one of the vast colony 

 Avill fight lor the common Aveal, though, Avhile 

 he stings the intruder, he loses his own life. 



The division of labor is also full of interest. 

 Some lay the groundAvork, or rather the ceiling 

 for the comb — others build the hexagonal cells 

 — others again spend their lives in feeding the 

 young bees Avith bee-bread, made of honey and 

 pollen of floAvers, brought by another set of la- 

 borers. 



Prof. G. stated some curious facts in regard 

 to the propagation of bees from the Italian 

 variety, Avhich is of a yelloAV color. He re- 

 marked that it is not the nature of this insect 

 in its domesticated state to sting, unless pro- 

 A'oked, aud that, last year, he had a hive in ids 

 own house, Avithout being incommoded or an- 

 noyed by the busy Avorkers, Avho produced more 

 honey than those out of doors. 



The remarks of the speaker — of Avhich tho 

 above is an imperfect sketih — occupied about 

 an hour, and Avere attentively listened to 

 throughout. 



Upon motion, the thanks of the Lyceum Avere 

 unanimously tendered to Professor Griihn for 

 his interesting and instructive address, and he 

 was requested to continue the subject at a fu- 

 ture meelmg, Avhich he promised to do. 



