EXTRACTli;D HONEY. 455 



752. If Ave give to bees empty combs, to store their honey, 

 we will find, by comparing the products of colonies who have 

 to build their combs, with those of colonies who always have 

 empty combs to fill, that these last produce at least twice as 

 much as the others. 



A little consideration will readily show, to the intelligent 

 bee-keeper, the great advantages given to the bees by furnish- 

 ing them with a full supply of empty combs. To illustrate 

 all these advantages, let us compare two colonies of bees, of 

 equal strength, at the beginning of the honey season; one with 

 empty boxes, the other with empty comb in the boxes. 



The two colonies have been breeding plentifully, and har- 

 vesting a large quantity of pollen, and a little honey, for 

 several weeks past. The brood chamber is full from top to 

 bottom. After perhaps one rainy day, the honey crop begins. 

 The bees that have been given empty combs can go right up 

 in them, and begin storing, as fast as they bring their honey- 

 f rom the fields. Not a minute is lost ; and as they have plenty 

 of storing room, there is no need of crowding the queen out 

 of her breeding cells. 



In the other hive, there is indeed plenty of empty space 

 in the upper story; but before it can be put to any use, it 

 has to be first partly filled with combs. Before a half day 

 is over, the greater part of the bees have harvested, and 

 brought, to their newly-hatched companions, all the honey 

 that the latter can possibly hold in their sacks. "What shall 

 they do with the surplus? They have to go into that upper 

 story, and hang there (205) for hours, waiting for the honey 

 to be transformed into beeswax, by the wonderful action of 

 these admirable little stomachs, whose work man cannot imi- 

 tate, despite his science. But, while this slow transformation 

 is going on, while the small scales of wax are emerging from 

 under the rings of the abdomen (201) of each industrious 

 little worker; while their sisters are slowly but busily carry- 

 ing, moulding and arranging the warm little pieces of wax in 

 their respective places, in order to build the frail comb (206) ; 



