HIVES WITH IMMOVABLE COMBS. 131 
was light, the damage inflicted to the bees was immense, 
for they had to rebuild their combs at a time when queens 
begin their greatest laying. But the bee-keepers of old 
were persuaded that this crop of beeswax was beneficial 
to bees, since it compelled. them to make new combs, which 
were considered better than older ones (676). 
Fig. 48. Fig. 49. 
STRAW EKE HIVE. THE RADOUAN EKE HIVE. 
(From Hamet.) (From Hamet.) 
B, body; 4, hole to connect the 
stories with the surplus cap. 
278. Some bee-keepers, having noticed: that bees place 
their honey at the highest part of the hive, added a cap or 
upper story, which communicated with the hive through a 
hole in the top of the latter (figs. 46 and 47). Still later, 
Apiarists found out that when the hive was very deep and 
the connecting hole small, the bees refused to store their 
honey in the cap, and they made their hives with open ceil- 
ings, replacing the top board of the breeding-story with slats 
or bars. The hives were afterwards divided into several hor- 
izontal sections, called ‘‘ekes’’ (figs. 48 and 49). Instead 
of using a cap, some Apiarists removed the upper story, 
when full of honey, and placed anew story under the others. 
