324 A Modern Bee-Farm 



and they gathered no other food than that supplied to 

 them for the purpose. A test of this kind should be 

 carried out under a high temperature, and a fair swarm 

 used for the occasion, but in my own case I had to be con- 

 tent with rather a low temperature but the result was very 

 satisfactory, and I found that no more than 6\ lbs. of 

 honey is required in the production of a pound of wax. 



Aids to Production. 



The apiarist who has all the colonies and all the combs he 

 requires is the one who will make the production of wax 

 profitable. He will have a great deal from cappings in 

 extracting, and many an odd piece, all of which should be 

 placed in some convenient receptacle till enough is 

 obtained to run down. There are the queen cells even ; 

 shavings from combs when reduced to brood thickness in 

 spring ; also the scrapings from the tops of frames, not 

 including the propolis. 



Then, again, new worker combs can be produced in 

 spring between the others containing brood, while feeding 

 dry sugar, at a great saving over foundation ; the apiarist 

 then being able to run down his more irregular combs, or 

 those that are getting too old ; or, as is sometimes the 

 case, the wax being perished, such would only be torn 

 down by the bees, as they do not appreciate combs that 

 have been out of use for a whole season ; and if possible 

 all should be passed through the hive every year to keep 

 them in good order. 



During the season that bees are storing heavily I have 

 reason to believe that the secretion of wax is continually 

 going on, and if the scales cannot be utilised they are 

 allowed to drop and be carried out as so much refuse; 

 Now the space allowed by my system below the brood 

 chamber provides that full employment shall ever be 



