193 WAX AND COMB. 



them as straight as is desirable ; and eYen when in frames 

 a sharp edge, or guide, is furnished, they will need some 

 attention to make them carry the combs straight to the 

 bottom. The rapidity with which comb will be built, 

 depends upon the temperature of the hive and amount of 

 honey being gathered or fed. 



SIZE OF CELLS. 



Practically, all cells built for brood-rearing are assumed 

 to be precisely of the same size, but close observation and 

 measurements prove that there is a slight variation. This 

 is so minute, however, that it does not materially afEect 

 the average number of cells to the square inch, which, in 

 worker-combs, is 35 on each side. The diameter of 

 worker-cells, therefore, averages about '/^ of an inch. 

 The depth is '/,5 of an inch. Drone cells are larger, so 

 that four will about measure an inch, or 16 to the square 

 inch. Their depth, when used for breeding, is about '/,, 

 of an inch, but they are often much deeper when used for 

 storing honey. 



Where drone and worker cells are built on the same 

 comb, the joining of cells of different sizes will produce 

 considerable irregularity, as may be seen in fig. 3. Even 

 where two combs, with cells of the same size, unite, they 

 are often quite imperfect. Queen cells are of exceptional 

 size and shape, and are constructed according to the 

 especial needs of the colony, and it is quite frequently the 

 case that a large number are never completed. (Seefig. 66.) 



HEXAGONAL SHAPE NOT ESSENTIAL. 



The introduction of comb-foundation and experiments 

 with artificial comb, have resulted in a more thorough 

 understanding of the essential size and form of cells. The 

 shape of the natural cell is evidently determined more by 

 considerations of economy, strength, and space, than by 



