Jltr-keepiiif/ in. Yicturia. 



117 



honey. The speed of comb-building is also accelerated by tlie larger surface 

 to work upon presented by full sheets as compared to combs from starters. 



3. Stronger and Straigliter Combs. 



The importance of good combs for the raising of brood as well as for 

 extracting cannot be overestimated. Even under the most favorable con- 

 ditions, the combs built from starters are rarely equal to those from full 

 sheets for either purpose. To get the full benefit of the frame-hive system, 

 all combs should be interchangeable without in any way interfering with 

 their utility. This result can only be obtained when the combs are perfectly 

 straight. The correct spacing of the brood combs is if inch from centre to 

 centre; this distance is necessarv to allow of all the cells being used for 

 brood, even when the combs are quite straight. When crooked combs are 

 interchanged, the projecting portions prevent that part of the adjoining 

 comb immediately opposite being occupied by brood. This also occurs 

 in combs adjoining drone-brood. To get the maximum number of worker 

 bees reared in the combs of the brood chamber, they should not only be of 

 all worker cells, but also perfectly straight. When the surplus honey is 



Fig. 3. — ComlD Showing Cells Sealed toy the Bees. 



taken by means of the extractor, and the empty combs returned to the hive 

 to be refilled by the bees over and over again, straight combs are not only 

 much easier to uncap, but suffer less damage in the process than crooked 

 combs, particularly tho.se built from starters, while much time is saved to 

 the operator in uncapping and to the bees in repairing damaged combs. 

 Combs built from full sheets of foundation are also less liable to melt and 

 break down in hot weather, owing to the stronger midrid in the comb and 

 the fastening to the bottom bar of the frame, and no bee-keeper should 

 use starters except under conditions as set forth below. 



Worker Comb from Starters. 

 To get workei comb built from starters, it is necessary to understand 

 the factors governing comb-building. Worker comb is built so long as cells 

 are required by the queen to deposit worker eggs in ; under all other con- 

 ditions more or less drone comb is produced. The production of worker 

 cells, therefore, depends upon the rate of egg-production by the queen and 

 the absence of worker comb already built. The ideal condition is that of 



