37 
SCRAP BOX. 
Every bee-keeper should have a box with a close 
fitting cover, substantially made, so that the moth- 
miller cannot enter, and it should be large enough to 
hang whole combs in. In this box every piece ol 
comb however small, should be collected ; from these 
scraps good pieces may be selected to put in honey 
boxes, or used wherever needed ; but if not fit to use 
otherwise, may be saved in this box, and honey, if 
stored on comb- frames, may also be kept in it. This 
box must always be kept closed, in a dark, dry room, 
or else the combs are liable to be destroyed by moth or 
mould. 
REMOVING OLD COMB. 
Many bee-keepers using the common box hive, are in 
the habit of breaking out the lower half of the comb, 
the result of which usually is, the bees do not swarm 
for that year, unless the season is very favorable. Some 
writers even advocate the practice of removing all the 
combs every four years, notwithstanding the great value 
of the comb. Experience has given ample proof that 
comb from two to three years old is preferable to new 
comb. Every cocoon left by the hatched bees makes 
the comb more ano more a non-conductor of heat and 
cold, being better adapted for wintering and early 
