Comb (bee)

“ The comb was hard and blackened and full of dirt, while the wax that oozed out and hardened below was as shining and yellow as if the sun itself had exhaled it. A Solar extractor ought to be in every apiary where twenty colonies or more are kept, and into this every fragment of comb should be put instead of storing it to become infested by the bee moth, or leaving it around to incite the bees to robbing. ”

“ A more careful inspection of the comb will show that the queen-bee too has done her share of work, not by helping to gather honey or to build combs, but by laying eggs which will hatch into grubs (larvæ) , and these, by careful feeding and nursing, will eventually become worker-bees, to take the place of the present workers when they die. Near the centre of the comb is a broad circle of cells, each of which contains a tiny white egg, almost invisible to the eye, which the queen has deposited there. ”

“ It is of service to keep the glass warm by means of a worsted or baize bag, it prevents the temperature from falling at night when much comb-building is carried on, providing the heat is not allowed to escape. Probably, if all goes on well, in three weeks the glass will be found to be filled with fine white honey-comb. When you find that the comb is well sealed up, it is time to take it off, but if the cells are unfilled and unsealed, let the little labourers complete their work—a little experience will soon enable the bee-keeper to determine this point. ”

“ The combs are sure to be dark in colour when taken from a stock-hive, and new combs, being whiter, have a better appearance in the hive. The comb upon which the queen was introduced may be taken away after the artificial swarm has made combs within some - 107 - of the other five frames; when the queen is on one of the new combs, opportunity may easily be taken for opening the hive and removing the old dark comb. The bees can easily be shaken or brushed off the comb, and will return to the hive. The comb, with the unhatched brood, may be deposited in any square hive that needs strengthening. ”

“ One of the attractions of bee-keeping is that much of the material we work with is pleasing, and some artistically beautiful. A sheet of foundation-comb made of the most delicate wax, frescoed on either side with rhomb insets in hexagonal pattern, is a joy to the artistic eye. It is absolutely necessary that the foundation should be put into the frame in such a manner that it will not sag or bulge when it is built out into the comb and filled with the heavy honey or brood. ”

“ Rising upon the comb, and holding steadily with its tiny feet, with admirable adroitness the young bee smooths its wings for its first flight, and rubs its body with its fore legs and antennae; then walking along the comb to the mouth of the hive, it mounts into the air, flies forth into the fields, alights upon the proper flowers, extracts their juices, collects their pollen, and, kneading it into little balls, deposits them in the sacks upon its feet ”

“ After the comb is freed from the bees, it requires some experience with honey-comb topography to see at a glance just the condition of the brood. There may be cells that look empty until a ray of light reveals at the bottom a glistening egg; and there may be cells with a little milky substance at the bottom in which the young larva is floating; or in some cells the bee grubs may be distinctly seen if they are four or five days old. If the cells are capped, it may puzzle the novice to know what lies behind that closed waxen door. ”

“ Without a queen, bees don’t seem so intent on building comb, but with a queen you would likely find them clustering in the open space left beyond the two dummies, there to build combs.
With the queen left in the hive, as in your case, you should have filled up the vacant space in some way, so the bees couldn’t occupy it. If the space for the brood-nest is limited, the tendency of the bees is to build additional combs at the side, even if one or two dummies are in the way. Perhaps it is not necessary to have the dummies so close to each other as you get farther away from the brood-nest. ”

“ This is easily effected by heating a common flat-iron, slightly warming the bars with it, then melting a little Bees-wax upon it. The comb is now drawn quickly across the heated iron, and held down upon the bar, to which it firmly adheres, if properly managed. These pieces of guide-comb need not be more than 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Care should be taken that the pitch, or inclination of the cells, is upwards from the centre of each comb. Drone-celled combs for this purpose are to be avoided, as well as those with elongated cells. Glasses will be provided, and guide-combs fixed in them also. ”

“ In many instances the comb when pressed into the frame will seem to - 73 - be so firm as not to need nails or sticks, but in the heat of the hive, and with the weight of the bees that will cluster on it to repair the cut edges and fasten them to the bars of the frame, unsupported combs are very apt to give way, creating disastrous confusion. ”

“ The readiness with which our bees use the comb-foundation and fit their combs to the frames and follow the hint given by the starters in the sections, all point to their adaptability; and however others may regard the matter, we never take off a section filled with just one pound of pearly comb and amber honey that we do not pay tribute to the bee intelligence which placed it there, and regard the little artisans as true partners in our enterprise. ”

“ Can the work be made of real value? Take one item. For myself, I have become more and more impressed with the importance of a thorough knowledge of foundations designed for use in sections for the production of comb honey. Much has been guessed, but so far as I can learn little is yet known on this subject. In the experiment of which I recently gave an account, one of the objects aimed at was to determine, if possible, if there was a difference among them, and, if so, what kind was of such a nature as to enable the bees to work it down most nearly to the thinness and character of natural comb. ”

“ To ensure comb-building on the bars, pieces of clean worker comb should always be carefully preserved; and before a swarm is put in, either every bar, or if guide comb is not plentiful, every other bar should have a piece fixed to it in the following manner: cut a piece of clean empty comb of the required size, say two inches square, not less; heat a common flat iron, and slightly warm the bar with it, then melt a little bees-wax upon it ”

“ I also find - 124 - comb foundation of great importance in furnishing encouragement to the bees when placed in the brood section of the Controllable Hive. The bees work with greater vigor; besides, with comb foundation we can secure all straight comb. I can confidently recommend the use of comb foundation. It will give perfect satisfaction. Use none but the very best. That with flat bottom cells, and high, sharp side walls, measuring about ten or twelve square feet to the pound, is best for surplus boxes. That for brood frames should measure from six to eight square feet to the pound. ”

“ Twenty-five years ago it was thought impossible to successfully imitate the bee in the construction of honey comb, but invention has triumphed in this, as in many other improvements deemed impossible. We now have honey comb manufactured by skillful workmen, so closely resembling that made by bees, that it seems the bees cannot detect any difference. I have always studied to give my bees every possible advantage, and I find that comb foundation, used in conjunction with my system of feeding, secures very large yields of surplus honey—much greater than I could otherwise secure. ”

“ As in warm weather the instincts of the fly is directed to the dead carcase, so is the moth directed to honey-comb left without bees in the summer season, and by a similar process is each destroyed. When the bees have been off about ten days, or perhaps a little less if the weather is very warm, examine closely for the first appearance of the moth worms on the surface of the combs in the boxes. Their presence may be known by small, thread-like webs or cocoons on the surface of the comb, growing larger as the moth worm enlarges in growth. ”

“ If it is new, it may be easily attached to the frames, or the honey-receptacles, by dipping the edge into melted wax, pressing it gently until it stiffens, and then allowing it to cool. If the comb is old, or the pieces large and full of bee-bread, it will be best to dip them into melted rosin, which, besides costing much less than wax, will secure a much firmer adhesion. When comb is put into tumblers or other small vessels, the bees will begin to work upon it the sooner, if it is simply crowded in, so as to be held in place by being supported against the sides. ”

“ At first, the substance of the cells is of a dull, semi-transparent, white colour, soft, and very brittle. After a time, a yellow tinge spreads over the comb, and, with age, this hue deepens to brown, and if some years old, becomes almost black. The colour, therefore, furnishes a tolerably safe guide as to the age of comb. The darkening seems due, partly to a chemical change from contact with the air, but still more to the constant traffic of the bees over it, and its getting smeared with dirt and propolis. ”

“ There are bees also that construct triple honeycombs in the ground; and these honeycombs supply honey but never contain grubs. But the honeycombs in these places are not all of this sort, nor do all the bees construct them.
Part 23
Anthrenae and wasps construct combs for their young. When they have no king, but are wandering about in search of one, the anthrene constructs its comb on some high place, and the wasp inside a hole. When the anthrene and the wasp have a king, they construct their combs underground. Their combs arc in all cases hexagonal like the comb of the bee. ”

“ When a hive has been in use many years the combs become very black, and every bee that is bred in a cell leaves a film behind. It may be understood how in this way the cells become contracted, and the bees that are - 262 - bred in them correspondingly reduced in size. After the lapse of, say, five years it may be necessary to begin removing the old combs. This may be done by cutting away the combs, or by substituting an empty frame for one with old black comb, gradually moving the frames towards each other. ”

“ These few irregular cells have been considered a great disadvantage. It is thought, or pretended, that there is a vast difference between the prosperity of a stock with straight combs and one with crooked ones. To avoid them, or cause the bees to make them all straight, has given rise to much contrivance, as if a few such cells could effect much. Suppose there were a dozen sheets of comb in a hive, and each one had a row or more of such irregular cells from top to bottom, what proportion would they hold to those that were perfect? ”

“ The upper portion of the comb contains honey, with the exception of the dark cells, which contain pollen. The lower are drone cells; and the large cells, three in number on each side, are royal palaces. Her majesty is fed with royal jelly till she is ready to show herself; and everything that love and reverence and hope can supply, the bees delight to offer. ”

“ Although there are many thousand labourers in a hive, they do not commence foundations for combs in several places at once, but wait till an individual bee has selected a site, and laid the foundation of a comb, which serves as a directing mark for all that are to follow. Were we not expressly told by so accurate an observer as Huber, we might hesitate to believe that bees, though united in what appears to be an harmonious monarchy, are strangers to subordination, and subject to no discipline. ”

“ The only plate where these frames touch the hive, is where the top bar of the comb frames rests on the rebating at the ends. To the top bar of each comb frame (on the under side) is nailed a triangular comb guide to aid in securing straight combs. Each side of the triangle is one inch wide. A piece of board one inch wide and three-eighths inch thick is laid on top of the comb frames lengthwise in the centre on this piece. The ends of the top boxes rest in the center where they come together. Notches are cut on the underside, crosswise, to admit of the passage of the bees. ”

“ When it is considered, as writers tell us, that more than 14 lbs. of honey are required for the secretion and elaboration of a single pound of comb, it will not be difficult to form a just estimate of the value of this invention, which thus furnishes cheap and excellent assistance to our industrious favourites. It also shows the bee-keeper that all clean empty combs should be carefully preserved and considered as valuable stock. Another great advantage that it affords us is, that it renders us independent of guide-comb, which is not always obtainable. ”

“ I might as well remark here, that when taking combs from a hive filled with honey, if such pieces were selected as contained only the large or drone cells, but little risk of bee-bread would occur; of the other combs, the outside sheets and the corners of the others near the top are the next best. The sheets of comb used principally for raising workers, and the cells next those so used, for an inch or two in width, are nearly all packed with pollen, and much of it will remain, when the breeding season is past. Smaller portions are found in the worker cells in nearly all parts of the hive ”