72 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



When new, it may be easily attached to frames, or spare 

 honey-receptacles, by dipping the edge into melted wax, 

 and firmly holding it in place until it hardens ; if it is 

 old, or the pieces large and full of bee-bread, a mixture 

 of melted wax and resin will secure a firmer adhesion. 

 When comb is put into tumblers, or small receptacles, it 

 may be simply crowded in, so as to keep its place until 

 fastened by the bees. As bees like " a good start in life," 

 they prefer receptacles which contain some empty comb. 

 All suitable drone-comb should be put into such recepta- 

 cles, instead of being allowed to remain in the breeding 

 apartment of the hive. 



No one, to my knowledge, has ever attempted to imi- 

 tate the delicate mechanism of the bee so closely, as to 

 construct artificial combs for the ordinary uses of the 

 hive. If store-combs could be made of gutta-percha, they 

 might be emptied of their contents, and returned to the 

 hive. 



In the Summer of 1854, I ascertained that bees will, 

 under some circumstances, use fine shavings of wax to build 

 new comb. If this discovery can be made serviceable 

 for practical purposes, it will both facilitate the cheap and 

 rapid multiplication of colonies, and enable the bees to 

 amass unusual quantities of honey. One pound of bees- 

 wax might be made to store nearly twenty pounds of 

 honey ; and the bee-keeper would gain the difference in 

 value between one pound of wax, and the honey which 

 bees consume . in making a pound of comb. At times 

 when no honey can be procured from the blossoms, strong 

 stocks might be profitably employed in building spare 

 comb, to strengthen feeble stocks, or for any other pur 

 pose. 



The building of comb is usually carried on with the 

 greatest activity by night, while the honey is gathered by 



