More from: Langstroth's Hive And the Honey Bee.. "Many bee-keepers are unaware of the value of empty comb. Suppose honey to be worth fifteen cents per pound, and comb, when rendered into wax, to be worth thirty cents, the Apiarian who melts a pound of comb loses largely by the operation, even without estimating the time his bees have consumed in building it. A strong stock of bees, in the height of the honey-harvest, will fill them with very great rapidity." Another reason Langstroth hives rock! Remember: It take eight (8!!) pounds of honey to make one pound of wax!! Crush and Strain? Not so fast! One pound of wax produced by honey bees is equal to 16 trips around our planet! Circumference of Earth is 24,910 miles...Wait there's more--50-60,000 honey bees in a colony may collectively journey 55,000 miles and visit two million flowers to gather enough nectar for just one pound of honey.