38 
FOLLOWING THE BEE LINE 
ing it somehow within their bodies. After gorging 
with honey, they gather in the place where they plan 
to build and the wax appears in very thin scales from 
several different segments of their abdomens. With 
mandibles and feet they mold it into the beautiful 
comb, composed of perfect hexagonal cells. A rib 
through the center of the comb forms the base from 
which cells are built on each side facing out and 
tipped very, very slightly upward to better retain 
the honey when nectar is coming in with a rush and 
cells are brimming full. 
A honey comb is a marvelous piece of architecture 
and a thing of great beauty in itself. Most of the 
cells in a comb are of one size—for the workers— 
but during the swarming season larger cells will 
be built, wherever room can be found, for the drones 
who, being males, are larger and need more room. 
Furthermore, if a colony has the swarming fever, 
they will build queen cells, large, long, peanut¬ 
shaped structures, to serve as royal cradles for the 
young queens. 
Wise overproduction of nature! Just as bees 
store all the honey they are able, so as not to run 
short (a bee instinct which the honey producer takes 
advantage of by removing the surplus for himself); 
just as bees, as a colony, raise many drones (though 
