and its Economic Management. 33, 



several united continued as one comb ; but in this case 

 we may frequently observe many irregular cells at the line 

 of junction. 



By using a sheet of glass next above the frames, or 

 better still, my glass rail sections, kept warm with woollen, 

 material, the interesting operation of comb-building may 

 be watched. Many bees will be seen with strips of wax 

 just removed from the " wax pockets " on the under-side 

 of the abdomen, and this they are moulding into shape as 

 added to the thick rim on the outer edge of the cells. 

 This rim is always present, not only as a reserve of wax 

 for lengthening the cells, but more especially for giving 

 strength to the structure, and the better to withstand the 

 tramp of many feet ; the actual cell walls being as fine as 

 tissue paper. With a few exceptions, as when joining 

 two combs, or where drone cells meet those of the worker 

 size, each cell is hexagonal in shape, with a base com- 

 posed of three irregular squares, so that the centre point 

 of contact is deeper than the sides ; thus, the centre of the 

 base of the cell comes opposite the junction of three walla 

 on the other side of the " septum." 



The natural distance from the centre of one comb to that 

 of the' next is i^-inch. It is not, however, absolutely 

 necessary that this gauge should be retained, and it will 

 be found by making the distance i|-inch to i J-inch when 

 starting new combs that the bees will build them almost 

 entirely of worker cells — five to an inch. When the 

 natural distance is allowed, many larger cells are con- 

 structed ; these are for storage or for the production of 

 drones or males, their measure being four to the inch. 



As soon as the combs are sufficiently advanced, the 

 queen deposits an egg in each available cell ; this remains 

 for two days, when the workers add a milky fluid ; and it 

 may be taken as a fact that no matter how high the tem- 



C 



