1907- 



AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



43- 



lilm of air, an appearance probably 

 due to the differences in density of 

 the two fluids. When a bee takes 

 honey from a cell the operation not 

 infrequently results in leaving the 

 remaining honey lying in the lower 

 corner of the base or extending along 

 the lower walls. It takes but a very 

 flight jar to dislodge the freshly de- 



These discoveries shed much light 

 on the mixing and shifting of honey, 

 and incidentally show the great dan- 

 ger of permitting any sugar syrup 

 being present in the hive when the 

 bees are storing surplus, for if it is 

 present it is pretty sure to be mixed 

 with the hone}' and get into the sup- 

 ers. 



During the dei)Ositing of the nectar 



JEES DEi'OSlTINC. HON'KV I.V THE CEI.L^- 



posited loads, oft causing them to 

 flow along the lower side of the cell. 

 The illustrations, drawn from life, 

 show one bee in the act of putting 

 the first load in a cell and of another 

 bee adding to honey which half fills 

 a cell. The bee's "face" or antennae 

 never touch the honey already in the 

 cell. The depositing of a load is 

 very deftly done and takes on an 

 average about forty seconds. 



in the cells the openings on the man- 

 dibles of the ducts of the "Wolff's 

 glands" are covered by it, and as the 

 mandibles are steadily moved it is 

 reasonable to presume that the glands 

 are pouring forth their secretion. In 

 the American Bee Keeper for Jan- 

 uary, 1904, I described the bee's man- 

 ner of "ripening" nectar showing how 

 the glands were then given a similar 

 I ij^portunity to add their secretions 



