326 COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



seldom perfectly symmetrical, although in many cases they 

 appear so to our eyes. The honey cells are built with entrances 

 slightly above their bases, so that the honey stored in them will 

 not flow out before it becomes " ripe." 



The Collection of Propolis. — " Bee glue," as propolis is 

 sometimes called, is a resinous material collected from buds and 

 crevices of trees. It is transported in the pollen baskets, and is 

 used, as soon as collected, to paint the inside of the hive, to fill 

 up cracks, and to strengthen any loose parts. 



Gathering Pollen. — Pollen grains are very small, of various 

 shapes and colors, and are formed within a part of the flower 

 known as the anther. To the bee, pollen is invaluable as a food, 

 and is also used in preparing the cells containing pupae. The 

 peculiar structures on the legs and other parts of the bee's body 

 used in collecting pollen have already been described (p. 316). 

 Upon reaching the hive the pellets of pollen are pried out of the 

 pollen basket by the spur at the termination of the tibia of the 

 middle leg (Fig. 238, D, s), and deposited usually in worker 

 cells. Pollen is the principal food of the larvae. It is very rich 

 in nitrogenous material, a food element not found in honey, and 

 without which the young would starve. The gathering of pollen 

 by bees has a great influence upon the flowers visited, since many 

 species depend upon bees for transporting pollen from one to 

 another. 



Carrying Water. — During warm weather water is sucked 

 up into the honey sac from dew, or brooks and pools, and carried 

 to the larvae in the hive. 



The Manufacture of Honey. — Bees do not collect honey 

 from flowers, but gather nectar, which is later transformed into 

 honey. The nectar is lapped up by the tongue (Fig. 237, /), 

 and transferred to the honey sac (Fig. 241, hs), where it is stored 

 while the bee is in the field. Nectar is placed in open cells in the 

 well-ventilated hive until all but 18 to 20 per cent of the water 

 contained in it has evaporated. When a cell is finally filled 

 with " ripe " honey it is sealed with a cap of wax. The flavor 



