502 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 
frames. For comb honey, on the contrary, all ordi- 
nary systems require the bees to build their comb'-', 
either with or without the assistance of foundation : 
the presence of a single egg is fatal : every cell 
must be fully capped, while the giving of empty 
comb outside the sections will hinder or stop storing 
in them. 
The difference involved in supplyini^ foundation 
instead of complete comb is immense, for it must never 
be forgotten that bees are social in their instincts, their 
individuality is merged in that of the colony, they 
follow precedent, and they act in concert because 
they will to do as others have done. If these have 
crowded their brood-nest with honey, they will crowd 
it still ; if drone-comb has been started, they will follow’ 
the pattern ; if others have stored honey in their 
supers, they without question accept their lead, and 
there place their load. If, therefore, we can manage 
to give the cue, we may settle the plans they will 
follow ; but when once the wrong path has been 
entered trouble awaits us. From this it follows that, 
in giving comb, its acceptance for honey-storing is 
certain ; for the bee’s instinct is unable to get behind 
the fact of our interference. The comb is to her part 
of her nest, because it is comb, and it is there above 
that it may hold the in-gathering, and our will is done 
as a natural sequence. Mr. Hutchinson truly says :* 
“ Let the bees once get the start of the queen by 
clogging the brood-nest with honey, and that colony 
becomes practically worthless for the production of 
comb honey ; and the oft-repeated advice to make 
* “ The Production of Comb Honey,” W. L. Hutchinson, page 24. 
