BEE MANUAL. 93 



partly filled with water, and boiled ; this melts the wax, which 

 floats on the top of the water, while the refuse remains in the 

 bags. The wax is skimmed off and put into vessels containing 

 some hot water, and allowed to cool gradually. By this method 

 any remaining dirt or foreign matter will be precipitated, and 

 can be scraped off the bottoms of the cakes when cool. To 

 get all the wax out of the bags it is necessary to press them ; 

 this can be done by having a piece of inch board cut rather 

 less than the inside dimensions of the tin, with a few holes 

 bored in it. This should be pressed down on the tops of the 

 bags, and held in that position while the wax is being skimmed. 

 By adding a little vinegar to the water in which the wax is 

 melted, it may be separated from the refuse much more readily. 



COMB. 



Wax, after being produced by the bees, is formed by the 

 workers into comb, which consists of hexagonal-shaped cells of 

 two sizes — one for the deposit by the queen of the worker 

 eggs, the other for the same purpose, for drone eggs ; and these 

 are known to apiarists by the names of "worker" and "drone" 

 comb (Fig. 30). 



Fig. 30. 

 WORKER CELLS. DRONE CELLS. 



HOW CONSTRUCTED. 



The wonderful instinct of these little workers is amply shown 

 in the construction of the comb; for there is no other form 

 known to mathematicians in which the cells could be con- 

 structed — 1st, to occupy the least possible space ; 2nd, with a 

 view to consume the least material ; 3rd, for the comfort and 

 health of the young bees. The cells are constructed on both 

 sides of the foundation, in a horizontal plane to it, which is 



