488 
HONEYCOMB 
When combs are built upon foundation, 
the rows of cells run in a horizontal line 
with exactness. But when the bees build 
at their own sweet will, there is no little 
variation from the horizontal. 
While the cell-walls vary from 1-3000 to 
1-4000 inch in thickness, the septum is thin¬ 
ner, sometimes being as thin as 1-5000 of 
an inch when first built. But as successive 
generations of young bees are reared in the 
cells, cocoons and secretions are left at the 
bottom of each, and in time the septum 
may become Ys inch thick. From this it 
happens that, altho worker comb is % 
inch thick when first built, specimens of 
old comb may be found measuring an inch 
in thickness, since the bees draw out the 
cell-walls at the mouth of the cell to bal¬ 
ance the additions made at the bottom of 
the cell, so as to maintain the same depth 
in an old cell as in a new one. 
When, however, worker-cells are used 
for storing honey, if there be room for it, 
the depth of the cells may be so increased 
that the comb may be two or three inches 
thick. Drone comb is even more likely to 
be thus built out. The cells of both kinds 
slant upward from the center to the ex¬ 
terior of the comb, yet so slightly that to 
the casual observer they appear entirely 
horizontal. Yet when the comb is so great¬ 
ly thickened for the storing of honey, the 
slant may be much increased, giving the 
cell a curved appearance. 
Formerly it was taught that the cap¬ 
pings placed over honey are air-tight, and 
this in spite of the fact that it is a com¬ 
mon thing to see white comb honey become 
watery and dark when kept in a damp 
place, the thin honey finally oozing out 
thru the cappings. Cheshire, who at one 
time held that the sealing of honey-cells is 
air-tight, says (Bees and Beekeeping, Yol. 
I., page 174), “By experiments and a mi¬ 
croscopic examination, I have made evi¬ 
FlG. 2. 
Fig. i. 
dent that former ideas were inaccurate, 
and that not more than 10 per cent at 
most of the sealing of honey is absolutely 
impervious to air.” The sealing of brood- 
cells, however, is very much more porous 
still (see Brood), no doubt for the sake of 
allowing proper air for the brood. The 
brood-cell cappings seem to be made up of 
shreds of cocoons, pollen, and almost any¬ 
thing that comes handy, with only enough 
wax to weld the whole together. 
Drone-cells used for honey storage. It will be 
seen that the lower part of the opening is capped 
first. This, with the slant of the cells, keeps the 
new honey from running out. 
The beautiful white color of honeycomb 
becomes dark with age, and when used for 
brood-rearing becomes nearly black. 
Drone comb measures just about four 
cells to the inch, but the bees seem less par¬ 
ticular about the size of it than with the 
worker. They oftentimes seem to make the 
cells of such size as to fill out best a given 
space; and, accordingly, the cells dif¬ 
fer from worker size all the way up to 
considerably more than Ya of an inch in 
width. Drones are raised in these extra- 
large cells without trouble, and honey is 
