38 
breeding. If, in the fall of the year, we place new 
comb side by side with old comb in the center of the 
hive, we find invariably that the breeding begins in the 
old comb. Mrs. Tupper speaks of a stock of bees that 
had been on the same comb for fourteen years, which 
had swarmed annually, and were, at the time of her ex- 
amination, in a prosperous condition. I, myself, pur- 
chased a stock of bees in the common box hive, which 
had been the property of the former owner for ten years 
years, without removing a piece of comb; and he as- 
sured me that it was an old stock when he purchased it. 
In transferring the bees to a moveable-comb hive, I 
found the comb tolerably straight, although dark, and 
fastened them on the frames. The same comb is yet in 
use, and occupied by one of my best stocks 
The practice of removing all the comb every four 
years, is pronounced as a very objectionable manage- 
ment, by nearly all practical bee-keepers throughout the 
United States and Germany. 
While advocating the use of every piece of good comb, 
we by no means mean to say that we leave the defective 
comb in the hive. Where moveable comb hives are 
used, thorough examination should be made in the 
spring. Take an empty hive, open the first stock you 
come to, take out the combs one by one, look over 
them, and if sound, set them in the new hive, bees and 
all; in this manner remove all the comb and bees. If 
