178 THE bee-keeper's guide; 



pollen, and ten pounds when fed both. My own experiments 

 would sustain Ruber's statement. In these experiments the 

 bees are confined, and so the conclusions are to be received 

 with caution. We can not know how much the results are 

 changed by the abnormal condition in which the bees are 

 placed. 



For a time nitrogenous food is not necessary to the secre- 

 tion of wax. Probably the small amount of nitrogen in the 

 scales and in the saliva may be furnished by the blood. This, 

 of course, could not continue long ; indeed, the general nutri- 

 tion would be interfered with, and ill health can never do 

 maximum work. 



It is asserted that to secrete wax, bees need to hang in 

 compact clusters or festoons in absolute repose. Such quiet 

 would certainly seem conducive to most active secretion. The 

 food could not go to form wax, and at the same time supply 

 the waste of tissue which ever follows upon muscular activity. 

 The cow, put to hard toil, could not give so much milk. But I 

 find, upon examination, that the bees, even the oldest ones, 

 while gathering in the honey season, yield up the wax-scales 

 the same as those within the hive. During the active storing 

 of the past season, especially when comb-building was in 

 rapid progress, I found that nearly every bee taken from the 

 flowers contained the wax-scales of varying sizes in the wax- 

 pockets. By the activity of the bees, these are not infre- 

 quently loosened from their position and fall to the bottom of 

 the hive, sometimes in astonishing quantities. This explains 

 why wax is often mentioned as an element of honey. Its pres- 

 ence, however, in honey is wholly accidental. It is probable 

 that wax-secretion is not forced upon the bees, but only takes 

 place as required. So the bees, unless wax is demanded, may 

 perform other duties. When we fill the sections and brood- 

 chamber wholly with foundation, it is often difficult to find 

 any bees bearing wax-scales. In such cases I have often 

 looked long, but in vain, to find such scales in situ to show to 

 my students. A newly-hived colony, with no combs or foun- 

 dation, will show these wax-scales on nearly every bee. 

 Whether this secretion is a matter of the bee's will, or whether 

 it is excited by the surrounding conditions without any 



