Uf ON BEES WAX. 



iBur, hy fuppofing that the bees of the old hives flored up fo 

 much pollen in their combs for their future wants, while thofc 

 of the new fwarms did not carry it outwardly on their legs, in 

 the infancy of their eftablifliment, becaufe they had no cells in 

 which they could depofit it: it might be fufficient to enable 

 them to conftru6l their combs, if they were at liberty to fly to 

 the-flowers, procure their pollen, and return to their hives after 

 having filled their ftomachs, where it muft be elaborated and 

 ^converted into perfed wax. It vyas to obviatQ thefe doubts 

 ^hat I undertook the following experiments, 



FIRST EXPERIMEINT. 



On Bees in Confinement with Honey alone for their Nourijiment^ 



^xp- 1* Muft bees eat pollen to be in a ftate to produce wax? Thi? 



fary VSie pro- ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ queftion which I thought it neceflary to inveftigate ; 



dudlion of wax? the meihod of trying the experiment was obvious; it was only 



required to keep the bees within their hives, and thus prevenj: 



them from colle(5ting or eating the fecundating powder. 



On the 24th of May, Burnens lodged a fwarm in a ftravy 

 hive, with 51s much honey and \yater as \yas necelTary for their 

 Confumption, and he clofed the doors fo that the beqs could noj; 

 get out and the air be at the fame time renewed. 



At firft the bees were very uneafy, but became calm on re- 

 moving the hive to a cool dark place ; their captivity lafted 

 five days; they were permitted to come out in a room, the win- 

 dows of which were (hut: we then examined tjie hive mor^ 

 Wax from conveniently. We firft noticed that there was no honey left 

 honey alone. |„ jj^g ^gj|e| vvhich had been filled vyith it, with tjie fole inten- 

 tion of feeding the confined bees; and were more aftoniftied 

 to find five combs of the moft beautiful wax, fufpended from 

 the roof of the hive; they were perfe6lly white, and very 

 brittle. This refult vyas very remarkable; however, before 

 forming a conclufion from it, that the honey with which thefe 

 bees were fed had enabled them to produce the wax, it was 

 neceftary to enquire whether it could not alfo be explained in 

 another manner. 



The bees which J had employed had doubllefs collefted the 

 duft while they were at liberty. 



They might have done fo the evening before, or on the very 

 day of their confinement, and might have enough in their fto- 

 machs, and in the cavities of their legs, to extra6| from it aU 

 the wax which we had found in their hive. 



But 



