SErTKMBER. 1919 



GLEANINGS T N BEE CULTURE 



581 



FROlvrTHE^FIEED^ 



j:ii 



BEE MANDIBLES and WAX SCALES 



Involuntary Secretion of Wax and Irregularity of 

 Cell Construction 



Mr. Bigelow 's photos of bee mandibles 

 and wax scales as here shown should con- 

 vey to the uninitiated a clear iden of wax 



The jaws or mandibles of the bees that work over 

 the wax " scales " or " chips." 



in its original form and the tools with which 

 it is worked into that marvellous structure, 

 honeycomb. 



The comb seems even more wonderful 

 when we watch its building — a dab of w;ix 

 here, another there, pushed one way by one 

 bee and another way by some other bee. 

 Tho the general effect is one of apparent 

 uniformity, it is far from uniform. The 

 cells are not unfrcquently of different sizes, 

 from smaller than normal worker to larger 

 than normal drone. One colony will put the 

 side walls of cells vertically, making a V 

 at bottom and top — the usual way; while 

 another will have top and bottom of cells 

 horizontal. It is idle to sj^eculate as to 

 the why, or why they make hexagonal cells; 

 simply, " 'tis the nature of the beast." 



The picture of "scales and chips" is of 

 particular interest, as chips are not often 

 in evidence, the bees using them more 

 readily than dropped scales. And by the 

 way, wastage from dropped scales is very 

 small, as can be shown by putting a tray 



covered with wire cloth beneath a colony 

 building comb. 



It is said that bees "chew the scales and 

 add saliva to them." Perhaps it is so; but, 

 so far as I have been able to discover, propo- 

 lis only is added and quite a lot of that. 



Apparently the secretion of wax is invol- 

 untary on the part of the bees, and is gov- 

 erned by the kind and quantity of food they 

 have. Superabundance of nectar or sugar 

 syrup brings the secretion of much wax even 

 in the cool weather of fall and spring; while 

 a similar or great quantity of ripe honey 

 does not produce this effect, except sparing- 

 ly, either in warm or cool weather. 



Providence, E. I. Arthur C. Miller. 



THE QUADRUPLE CASE TO-DAY 



Some of Its Past History and Something About Its 

 Present Status 



The quadruple winter case has been so 

 frequently connected with my name, some 

 even accusing me of claiming to be the 

 originator of this method of wintering, that 

 I have decided to tell what I know about 

 the case. First, however, I might say that 

 in all my writings I have tried conscienti- 

 ously to give full credit for new ideas given 

 me in beekeeping. Still, it is true that my 

 writings in connection with the quadruple 



Flakes of wax as firiginally formed. .\lso ' chips 

 falling from working jaws. 



case stimulated discussion, drew ;ittention 

 to that method of wintering, and gave 

 suflBcient confidence in the method of out- 

 side wintering to cause others to make and 

 test the cases themselves. In 1879 I visited 

 the county of Hildemand, in the province of 

 Ontario, Canada, and found it an old and 

 well-established practice to winter bees four 

 colonies in a case. The strong points of the 

 method did not at that time appeal to me. 

 I kept bees for manv years, and had sad and 



