THE HONEY BEE FAMILY 45 



The combs serve the bees for several pur- 

 poses. First the cells serve to provide snug 

 receptacles for the young. They also serve as 

 places to store the reserve food supply of honey 

 and pollen and resting places for the bees. 



The combs when first built are white, gradu- 

 ally growing darker with use until some old 

 combs are almost black. However, there is a 

 difference in color of the wax depending upon 

 the source of the honey which the bees were 

 gathering at the time. In some warm climates 

 the wax is quite dark, and even in our northern 

 states where white wax is the rule, some is yel- 

 low even at first. 



