JUNE 15, 1913 



Conversations Avith 



At Borodino, New York. 



t05 



Doolittle 



WAX SECRETION AND COJ£B-BUILDING. 



" When may we expect that the bees will 

 secrete wax and begin building comb 1 " 



" Among some of my early recollections 

 is tliis from L. L. Langstroth's work on 

 bees : ' It is an interesting fact wliich hith- 

 erto seems to have escaped notice, that hon- 

 ey-gathering and comb-building go on sim- 

 ultaneously; so that, when one stops, the 

 other stops also. As soon as the honey 

 harvest begins to fail, so that consumption 

 is in advance of production, the bees cease 

 building new comb, even though large por- 

 tions of the hive are unfilled. When hon- 

 ey no longer abounds in the fields, it is 

 wisely ordered that they should not con- 

 sume, in comb-building, the treasures for 

 winter use.' In addition to this I would 

 say that, under the same circumstances, the 

 higher the temperature up to 90 or 95 de- 

 grees in the shade, the better results. This 

 is in harmony with all general affairs as 

 they naturally take place. Warm weather 

 being necessary for the secretion of nectar, 

 it is but natural that the bees should go out 

 in search of it, and with the gathering of 

 more honey than is needed for the economy 

 of brood-rearing, wax secretion invariably 

 takes place when more room is needed. 



" What is the estimate in pounds of hon- 

 ey necessary to make one pound of wax? " 



" This has been variously estimated at 

 from six to twenty pounds. I tliink it was 

 Huber who first gave the estimate of twentj? 

 pounds; but, if I am right, his statement 

 was made after confining the bees and feed- 

 ing them honey. This, of course, put the 

 colony out of a normal condition, under 

 which circumstances more honey would 

 naturally be consumed owing to the bees 

 becoming agitated through their struggle 

 for freedom. Others, who estimate as low 

 as six i:)ounds, think that pollen helps in 

 the secretion of wax, and a lugh tempera- 

 ture is considered an important factor, on 

 the principle that it seems to take much less 

 food for hogs to put on fat in warm weath- 

 er than in cold. Others think that, in ad- 

 dition to temperature, the freedom from 

 vigorous work in the fields has very much 

 to do with the matter. With a partially 

 enforced idleness bees will secrete wax and 

 build comb very fast. There is hardly an 

 apiarist in the world who has not noticed 

 with what alacrity comb-building is carried 

 on by the newly hived swarm previous to 

 extended brood-rearing. With a high tem- 

 perature and almost perfect immunity from 

 other duties, wax secretion is carried on 

 most economically." 



"With a hive partially or fully filled 

 with comb, when does wax secretion begin f 

 " Generally, not until all available cells 

 are filled to an extent consistent with the 

 evaporation of moisture contained in the 

 nectar brought in from the fields by the 

 field bees. Up to this time all repair work 

 about the hive and comb requiring wax is 

 made at the expense of other portions of 

 the comb already built, as is invariably in- 

 dicated by the color. The beekeeper who 

 has not noticed this is an exception and 

 not the rule. Put an empty frame having 

 only a starter down at the side of the out- 

 side comb of the brood next to the brood- 

 nest, and see how it will be filled with 

 comb of all shades and colors. Then look 

 at queen-cups and queen-cells as they are 

 being built. These always correspond in 

 shade with the comb upon which they 

 are constructed. 



" It is rightly claimed that there are 

 tim.es wlien wax secretion is imperative. 

 Years ago Prof. Cook found that, during 

 the height of a profuse nectar flow, wax 

 scales could be found upon the field bees 

 which were visiting the flowers. With 

 plenty of empty cells comb extension is 

 unnecessary, either for breeding purposes 

 or the storage of honey. But with a good 

 nectar flow, and all available cells filled, 

 the field bees transfer their loads to the 

 comb-builders and nurse bees, which, being 

 unable to disgorge themselves, are compel- 

 led to secrete wax the same as a new swarm 

 does when without comb. Under both con- 

 ditions comb extension is desired. With the 

 swarm tliis desire can be satisfied, but not 

 with the othei'. Close observers have no- 

 ticed that, toward the close of a day when 

 the nectar secretion has been exceptionally 

 good, so that the nurse and comb-building 

 bees are gorged almost to bursting, the old 

 field bees have been compelled to keep 

 their loads, and will cluster out on the hive 

 with plenty of nectar still inviting them to 

 a sumptuous feast. At such times, after 

 24 hours the old fielders can be found bear- 

 ing wax scales, even though these scales 

 are generally confined to the comb-building 

 bees under most circumstances. Hence it 

 is easy to see that, with such an exception- 

 ally good flow of nectar, there must come a 

 waste of wax with a hive and supers filled 

 with fully occupied combs ; and under such 

 circumstances, where foundation is given, 

 the sheets are not disturbed at all. Then it 

 is that the bees build combs by adding their 

 wax to the foundation, thus giving a heavy 

 base or midrib to section honey." 



