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of honey and bee-bread or the rearing of worker bees, thus 
fully preventing the rearing of drones, — a great saving to 
the bee-man, as drones never eolleet honey, but consume it 
in large amounts. Too many drones are a great damage to 
any apiary. 
If the Comb-Frames and Separators are introduced to the 
hive according to the directions in this book, not a drone 
will be reared unless the bee-master desires it. (By letting 
one hive breed drones there will usually be enough for a 
whole apiary ; unless Italian queens are being reared, then 
it would be well for every hive rearing queens to raise a 
few drones also.) 
Another great advantage gained by the use of the Sepa- 
rators is that they may be used in several hives in one 
season, providing they come out at intervals of a week or 
two apart. Seven constitute a set. 
I suppose the bee-keeper is aware that drone-comb is one 
and a quarter inch in thickness, whilst worker-comb is only 
seven-eights of an inch. 
In using the Separators the second time great care should 
be taken to scrape otf all the particles of comb before plac- 
ing them in the hive, to prevent the bees from sticking their 
combs to them. 
STRAW MATS 
I have found to be a very superior article to place over 
combs of the hive, in the absence of honey boxes. They 
should be placed over the combs immediately after the sur- 
plus honey boxes are removed, on the first of September, and 
kept there till the bees are set into the cellar, at which time 
they should bo removed and a Preserver placed over the 
combs ; should the cellar be an unusually cold one, and the 
swarm light, then, perhaps, it would be policy to place the 
mat over the Bee-Preserver so as to nearly cover the combs 
within a couple of inches or so. In every instance where 
