442 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING, 
to permit of its being consumed as occasion may 
require ; we find, therefore, that the brood-nest is kept 
naturally near to the entrance, while the honey lies 
above, behind, and at the sides. Wild bees, seeking 
out such hollows as may best suit them, are forced to 
accommodate themselves to the varying forms of the 
cavities in which they build. Sometimes, their combs 
are of necessity stretched out in great plates, few in 
number; at others, they are numerous because in- 
dividually small ; but the general principles indicated 
with regard to the position of the honey always assert 
themselves. We must also observe that combs are 
built readily downwards, but lateral extensions are 
made irregularly and slowly, while upward building 
seems to present accumulated difficulty. All this is 
true, because it is the nature of the bee to build from 
its roof, to have no cavity unoccupied by comb over^ 
the cluster, and to extend its nest laterally, though 
not until after it has established full communication 
with its entrance. These facts need attention, since 
our hives and methods, to give the best success, must 
be modelled in obedience to their teaching. 
Ancient is the practice of taking advantage of 
storing behind the brood-nest while the colony is left 
intact (page 82), and, reaching down to our own day, 
the straw skep is often deprived by having its side 
comb of honey excised ; but here, usually, an advance 
is made upon primitive methods by placing over an 
opening in the roof of the skep a cap, or super, to 
which the bees have free access to deposit their 
wealth, while it is, practically, a distinct chamber 
so far as the queen and brood-nest are concerned. 
