20 



THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



from the surface of the combs nearly ^in.; thus a provision is 

 made for the greater length of the inmates. 



36. HoneycomT}. — Both drone and worker comb are used 

 indiscriminately by the bees for the purpose of storing honey. 

 The cells surrounding the brood-nest, on top and on both sides, 

 are used for honey ; but they rarely store it below the nest, in 

 close contiguity to same. When honey is stored, wax is used 

 for the cappings. Pollen is also stored in the same cells as honey, 

 but only in worker-combs. When honey is very plentiful, any 

 fresh comb made for its accommodation will be usually built 

 in cells of drone size. The length of honey-cells varies con- 

 siderably ; instead of being about Jin. in depth, as for brood, cells 

 of less and also greater depth will be found. We on one occasion 

 saw honey-cells which were 2jin. deep ; when such a depth is 

 attained, the cells will be found to be very irregularly formed. 



37. Queen-cells. — These form a portion of the comb at 

 certain seasons. They are composed of wax and pollen mixed, 

 and are totally different in shape to any other cells in the 

 hive. When the bees are about to build queen-cells, they 

 choose the edge of, or, preferably, a hole in, the comb, and 

 after an egg has hatched in a worker- cell, in this position, and 

 been fed a few hours, they construct, by enlarging the side walls. 



Workei^comb with Queen-cells commenced, 

 before Gapping over, and after, showing In- 

 dentations on Surface, 



Queen-cell with 

 Hinged Cap, after 

 Exit of Queen. 



a dome, not unlike an acorn cup ; in this is placed a quantity 

 of food for the larva, which floats, or rather adheres, to this food. 

 During the course of feeding, the cell is gradually elongated 

 downwards, and when it is finished it is capped over, looking 

 then something like a perfect acorn hanging downwards. On 

 some occasions, as in a colony with no worker larvae, the bees 

 will endeavour to rear a queen from drone larvae; in this case, 



