190 WAX AND COMB. 
extracting the honey from them, I place them where the 
bees will thoroughly clean them of honey, and then pack 
them away in a dry, cool place, where they will not be- 
come soiled. They may be placed in a box of suitable 
size, with a door in the side, under a swarm, and should 
be removed a3 fast as cleaned. 
In Chapter X., on Boxing, another mode of securing 
guide combs is mentioned. I desire particularly to call 
attention to these practical methods, to show that with a 
little forethought, there is no necessity for using founda- 
tion in surplus boxes. 
RELATIVE AMOUNT OF BOX AND EXTRACTED HONEY. 
It is claimed by some that we may expect to secure 
twice as much extracted honey as box honey. This may 
be true in some cases, but when extracting a large num- 
ber of hives, I think it not safe to expect over one-third 
or one-half more. The-price that each quality commands 
will determine which it is most profitable to produce. 
CHAPTER XII 
WAX AND COMB. 
WAX. 
During the summer season, when honey i3 being gath- 
ered rapidly, and combs must be constructed in which it 
cm MY be deposited, the observing bee-keeper will 
iq notice scales of wax upon the under side of the 
li! abdomen of the bee, as seen in fig. 74. Wax is 
jj a natural secretion of the honcy-bee and, as has 
been demonstrated by many of our most able 
apiarians, may be produced by feeding honcy or 
syrup, even when the bees are confined to the 
hive. These scales are detached from the body with the 
