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 isskimmed 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 (Vig. 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—Ist, 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 
