The Colony and its Organization 



49 



bees form the angles of the side walls and those of the side 

 walls with the base. It has been stated that the comb is 

 built with such accuracy that the maximum capacity and 

 strength are obtained with the minimum expenditure of wax. 

 Miraldi and Koenig vied with each other in the supposed 

 accuracy of their measurements of the various angles and in 

 their calculations of the greatest economy of wax. While 

 it would be a marvelous accomplishment if bees were able to 

 build so accurately, it is per- ^^ 



haps more marvelous that they 

 can adapt their cells to their 

 needs. It need scarcely be 

 said that the formerly sup- 

 posed accuracy is not actual.' 

 In addition to the horizon- 

 tally placed hexagonal cells, 

 there are found on the combs 

 at certain times cells of a differ- 

 ent type. These hang verti- 

 cally from the combs and are 

 used for rearing queens (Fig. 

 38). They are circular rather than hexagonal, are larger 

 than the other cells and the outer surface is rough and 

 pitted, somewhat resembling a peanut. 



Fig. 



38. — Queen cell. Natural 

 size. 



Contents of the cells. 



As previously stated, the cells of the comb are used for the 

 rearing of brood and for the storage of honey and pollen, 

 each use being in a sense more or less restricted to cells 

 in definite locations. As the larvse (p. 100) reach the age 

 when food is no longer taken, they are sealed over with a 

 characteristic capping (Fig. 39), and when a cell is filled with 

 ripened honey it too is sealed, but with a different capping 



' Under manipulation, the size and regularity of the cells are controlled 

 by the use of comb-foundation, sheets of pure beeswax on which the midrib 

 ia impressed (p. 28 ). Even when this is used, a sloping of the side walls 

 of the cells toward the outer margin of the combs may often be observed. 



