12 MANIPULATION OF WAX SCALES OF THE HONEY BEE. 



combs. These may be entirely disregarded by the bee, or they may 

 be cleaned off by scraping the combs together, the shreds of wax 

 dropping to the bottom of the hive. More usually, however, if a 

 worker is actively engaged in the task of adding to the comb these 

 bits of wax will be carried foi-ward to the mouth, masticated, and 

 applied. 



In one case which came under observation a worker had removed 

 all of its wax scales except a very large, thick one which was evi- 

 dently sticking tightly in its pocket. Kepeated efforts were made by 

 the bee to accomplish the extraction of this scale, but with only 

 partial success, since the main portion of the scale remained in the 

 pocket. But, as the result of its efforts the bee succeeded in beveling 

 off the entire projecting edge of the scale, rasping it off bit by bit 

 and carrying the small pieces forward to the mouth, masticating 

 them, and dispositing the wax upon the comb. 



PRODUCERS AND BUILDERS. 



The presence of well-developed scales j^rotruding from the pockets 

 of a worker does not necessarily indicate that this individual will 

 shortly add this wax to the comb, even though the colon}' may at the 

 time be producing comb at a rapid rate. Such a bee may be working 

 upon the comb as a molder of wax rather than as a producer. One 

 who is intent upon a study of the process of scale removal will often 

 be disappointed after following for a time the moA^ements of a 

 Avorker that is evidently manipulating Avax and which shows the 

 protruding edges of scales beneath its abdomen, for the Avax with 

 which it is working is being picked up, little by little, from the comb 

 and comes not from its oAvn body. This reworking of wax is one of 

 the most characteristic features of comb construction, for it goes on 

 continually while new comb is being produced, and it is, of course, a 

 necessary process in the reconstruction of old comb. 



The claim has been made by several investigators and writers that 

 the bees which sculpture the wax are not at the same time concerned 

 with its secretion and deposition — that there are producing bees 

 and building bees. In a sense this is true, but not entirely so. "With- 

 out doubt many active comb workers are, at the time, nonproductive, 

 for the wax glands of many are not functionally active. The re- 

 sults of Dreyling would indicate that the old bees, at least, might be 

 considered as falling in this class, and the direct observations of the 

 writer lead to the conclusion that old bees devoid of Avax scales j^er- 

 form a considerable share of the labor of rcAvorking newly deposited 

 wax and of shaping and polishing the cells of the comb. 



HowcA^er, as noted above, bees with well-deA'eloped wax scales 

 often busy themselves Avith wax working rather than with produc- 

 tion. Moreover, a bee that is removing its scales may discontinue 



