CHAPTER V 

 THE INDUSTRIES OF THE HIVE 



THE SECRETION OF WAX 



Very little do we know of the mysterious process 

 of wax-making. The interior of the bee is a chemical 

 laboratory where no visitors are allowed ; at best we 

 have been obliged to stand outside and guess at the 

 formulas used within. We know that honey enters 

 largely into the composition of wax, and that the 

 bees when secreting wax usually have pollen in their 

 stomachs, although Huber and Cook have both 

 demonstrated that bees make successful comb when 

 deprived of pollen, and when fed on sugar syrup 

 instead of honey.' But to make this experiment of 

 much value the bees must needs have been deprived 

 of pollen all of their lives instead of a few days. It 

 seems to be generally conceded that nitrogenous food 

 is needed for the best product of wax-manufacture, 

 though nitrogen does not enter into the composition 

 of the wax itself. 



It is variously estimated that it requires from ten 

 to twenty pounds of honey to produce one of wax; 

 so it is apparent to even the novice in bee-keeping 

 that wax is a very expensive product. One of the 



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