THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES. 239 
The honey comb (fig. 2.) in which all honey and pollen is stored, 
and the young brood reared, is built by the worker bee from, wax which 
is secreted from the under side of its abdomen, in the form of very 
small thin flakes. These flakes are manipulated by the mandibles of 
the bee and moulded into the various forms required in building. the. 
comb. The comb consists of hexagonal cells arranged on the two sides 
of a vertical septum, or mid-rib. 
Fig. 2.—Comb architecture. 
Two sizes of cells are easily recognizable, viz. that in which the 
worker bees are reared, which is 1/5 inch in diameter, and that in 
which the drones are reared, which is 1/4 inch in diameter. There. 
are also irregular transition cells where these two sizes merge into 
each other. Any of the cells may be used for storage. 
