THE HOME OF THE BEES 



they manufacture it, though it undergoes a 

 chemical change in their honey-sacs, but is a 

 nectar gathered from various blossoms, and, 

 together with pollen and water, constitutes their 

 principal food. 



When first gathered, this honey or nectar 

 is very thin and may easily be shaken from 

 the combs like so much sweetened water, 

 and in fact it contains a large percentage of 

 water, but after the bees have evaporated the 

 water by fanning it after it has been stored in 

 the cells, it becomes thick and ripe. 



It is generally thought also that the bees mix 

 with it a small percentage of formic acid to act 

 as a preservative, and the sour taste of some 

 honey while in process of evaporation seems 

 to prove this. 



Honey, being gathered from many sources, 

 has distinctive flavors, and even a novice can 

 distinguish the difference between buckwheat, 

 basswood, and clover honey. While we may 

 have our individual preferences as to flavor, 

 yet the bees seem willing to extract nectar 



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