THE HONEY-BEE IN NEW ZEALAND. 
11 
is the strength of the form made use of, that it is possible 
to lift a full comb without damaging a single cell. The 
art seems to be in spreading your fingers as much as 
possible in order to support the comb in many different 
parts. 
By the aid of the bee knife, honey may be taken in 
the same manner from a common straw hive, if made of 
a proper shape. Those which are straight sided, and 
have a conical top rising to a point, are the very worst 
pattern. The purest honey is deposited in the very 
crown of the hive, which should be nearly flat, that each 
comb may be as nearly square as possible : besides, the 
bee knife will not work to advantage in a hive of this 
shape ; a large piece of comb will always be left in the 
top: whilst in a box, or flat topped straw hive, it will 
make clean work. Those also which are contracted at 
the bottom are very difficult to get honey from. They 
are made so, I believe, from a mistaken idea of giving 
support to the combs. But trust your bees to know how 
to fasten their combs securely to the top of a hive. They 
are no bunglers, and make sure work of it. It is utterly 
impossible to get a comb out of one of these bungling 
hives, without previously cutting it down the middle ; 
and every such cut spills honey and daubs your bees. 
Cross sticks are equally pernicious. Many persons insist 
on putting them into their hives from the same mistaken 
idea of supporting the combs. The advocates of this 
skewering system will also tell you that they are iismu 
for a new swarm to hang upon; but it is no such thing. 
A new swarm hangs from the very top of the hive, and 
from live ladders, as it were, of their own bodies, up 
which the labourers mount without needmg the cross 
sticks 
In describing the wooden boxes, I said that their chief 
advantage was in the ease with which honey may e 
taken from them. When a top box is quite full, and 
the cells sealed over, remove the cover, and blow some 
smoke with the fumigating bellows down through the 
bars now exposed. When the greater part of the bees 
have -one into the lower boxes, remove the top one 
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