The book of bee-keeping : a practical and complete manual on the proper management of bees ... / by W. B. Webster.

  • Webster, W. B.
Date:
[1901]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The book of bee-keeping : a practical and complete manual on the proper management of bees ... / by W. B. Webster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/128 (page 20)
    from the surface of the combs nearly £in.; thus a provision is made for the greater length of the inmates. 36. Honeycomb.—Both drone and worker comb are used indiscriminately by the bees for the purpose of storing honey. The cells surrounding the brood-nest, on top and on both sides, are used for honey; but they rarely store it below the nest, in close contiguity to same. When honey is stored, wax is used for the cappings. Pollen is also stored in the same cells as honey, but only in worker-combs. When honey is very plentiful, any fresh comb made for its accommodation will be usually built in cells of drone size. The length of honey-cells varies con- siderably ; instead of being about |in. in depth, as for brood, cells of less and also greater depth will be found. We on one occasion saw honey-cells which were 2|in. deep ; when such a depth is attained, the cells will be found to be very irregularly formed. 37. Queen-cells.—These form a portion of the comb at certain seasons. They are composed of wax and pollen mixed, and are totally different in shape to any other cells in the hive. When the bees are about to build queen-cells, they choose the edge of, or, preferably, a hole in, the comb, and after an egg has hatched in a worker-cell, in this position, and been fed a few hours, they construct, by enlarging the side walls, a dome, not unlike an acorn cup ; in this is placed a quantity of food for the larva, which floats, or rather adheres, to this food. During the course of feeding, the cell is gradually elongated downwards, and when it is finished it is capped over, looking then something like a perfect acorn hanging downwards. On some occasions, as in a colony with no worker larvae, the bees will endeavour to rear a queen from drone larvae; in this case, Worker-comb with Queen-cells commenced, before Capping over, and after, showing In- dentations on Surface. Queen-cell with Hinged Cap, after Exit of Queen.