82 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



very thin when first built and in their virgin purity, 

 that four or five placed on each other would not be 

 thicker than common writing paper ; each cell, taken 

 separately, is weak, but is increased in strength by its 

 connection with other cells. The mouth or entrance 

 of each cell is greatly strengthened and fortified by 

 a border of wax, making the outer edge of the par- 

 tition wall more than double strength. This, indeed, 

 seems quite necessary to prevent it from bursting or 

 being injured by the struggles of the young bee, or 

 from the ingress and egress of the workers in their 

 varied avocations. This border is much thicker at 

 the angles than elsewhere, which prevents the mouth 

 of the cell from being regularly hexagonal, though 

 the interior is perfectly so. 



Several combs are generally commenced and pro- 

 gressing at the same time. First, one is founded and 

 progresses until it is two or three cells deep, then 

 another and still another is commenced on each side 

 of the first, at the space of about one and a half 

 inches from centre to centre, for worker cells ; it is a 

 little more for a drone cell, as the comb is thicker. 

 These combs are generally parallel with each other ; 

 occasionally, however, they run in different directions. 



I would remark, in this connection, that to secure 

 the building of straight and regular combs in mova- 

 ble frames, it is absolutely necessary to so adjust them 

 as to have the exact spaces from centre to centre of 

 the comb guides ; the least deviation from this is 

 almost certain to cause the bees to run the combs 

 across from frame to frame, thus enabling them to 



