Insect Enemies and Allies 



217 



"starter" or " founda- 

 tion " is made of bees- 

 wax that has been 

 stamped out into sheets 

 about as thick as paper. 

 A sheet is fastened in 

 each frame where the 

 comb is to go, and the 

 bees build upon it. 

 Without foundation the 

 combs may run in any 

 direction in the hive 

 and the frames cannot 

 be lifted out separately. 



After the bees have 

 filled the hive with comb 

 and honey and "brood" 

 (young bees), a second 



story, called a " super," is added, and in this the bees will The sur- 

 store their surplus honey. The queen, which lays all the p l 

 eggs, seldom goes up into the super ; so it is likely to 

 contain honey only, and no brood. It is from the super 

 that the beekeeper gets his share of the honey, but he 

 should leave a sufficient amount, about fifteen pounds 

 all together, for the bees to live on during the winter 

 (Fig. 170). 



In the spring bees are apt to swarm. That is, the Swarming 

 colony divides, one part remaining in the hive with a 

 newly hatched queen, and the rest, accompanied by the 

 old queen, flying out to find a new home. The swarm 

 usually alights in some tree or bush that is near and 



W. T. Sktlltng 



FIG. 169. A wire-gauze bee veil gives 

 perfect protection. A cloth veil may 

 touch the face and allow bees to sting 

 through it. 



