220 



NATURE'S TEACHINGS. 



LONG before man ever invented paint or varnish the Hive 

 Bee had made use of it. 



Every one who has kept bees knows how they always fasten 

 the edge of the hive to the board, and stop up any crevices 

 that may be left open. The material which they use for this 

 purpose is not wax, but a substance called " propolis.'* This 



BEE VARNISHING CELLS. 



PAINTER VARNISIIIXG WOOD. 



term is composed of two Greek words, signifying a suburb, or 

 the outskirts of a town, and is given to this stationary sub- 

 stance in consequence of the use which is made of it. 



Not only do the bees use it for fastening the hives, but 

 also for strengthening their combs. Wax is a very precious 

 material, and the beautiful hexagonal structure of the bee-comb 

 is intended for the purpose of combining the greatest amount of 

 storing space with the least expenditure of material. The 

 plates of wax of which the cells are composed are so thin that 

 their edges would break down even under the feet of the bees 

 as they passed over it, and accordingly the bees strengthen 

 the edges of the cells with propolis, as any one may see by 

 examining a piece of bee- comb. The propolis is of a darker 

 colour than the wax, and has a peculiar varnish-like appear- 

 ance. 



The propolis, as distinguished from wax, is mentioned by 

 Virgil in his Georgics : 



" Collectumque hsec ipsa ad munera gluten 

 Et visco et Phrygiee servant pice lentius Idae." Georg. iv. 40. 



It is evident that the propolis cannot be obtained from the 

 same source as the wax. The latter is secreted by the bees 



