TO SOUTHERN BEE CULTURE 



of all of them as compared with their usefulness in bee-keeping. The major- 

 ity of them are indispensable in modern apiculture, and apiarian implements 

 should be considered before placing orders for bee-supplies; and some of 

 them (depending on what you are operating your bees for) should be in- 

 cluded in orders. 



HONEY. 



Honey is the sweet sap of certain plants called honey-plants, which have 

 nectar-glands to convey this sweet sap into their blossoms, buds, tender joints, 

 etc., where the bees or nectar-loving insects can reach it. At the extremity 

 of these glands the sweet sap may ooze out and stand in a ring around the tiny 

 berry or fruit, as it may be, in small drops about the blossoms and tender 

 growing parts of the plant. Honey-bees remove this sweet sap, or nectar, as it is 

 most commonly called, with their long delicate little tongues, which work in a 

 folded tube. If you will give a bee a drop of honey it will show you its 

 tongue better than I can explain it; but it will be seen that the tongue will 

 work out at the end of the folded tube, and feed about in the honey, and 

 soon the drop of honey will disappear if it is a small one, and be nicely 

 cleaned up. In like manner it removes the nectar from plants; and as it 

 is Ifcked up it goes from the tongue through the folded tube into another 

 tube which conveys it through the waist of the bee into the honey-sac, which 

 is located in the front part of the bee's abdomen. This sac or honey-stomach 

 holds only a small drop of nectar ; and when it is full the bee will rise in a 

 circulating manner and soon disappear toward its hive. But when honey is 

 first gathered it is very thin sweet water, and has an "unpleasant sappy taste ; 

 but from the time it is removed from the honey-plant it is undergoing an 

 evaporating or ripening process. As soon as the nectar-laden bee reaches its 

 hive it goes up on the comb among its busy sisters and there deposits its load 

 of nectar into a cell by belching it out of its honey-sac, or it may give its load 

 to some attending bee if there happens to be one present, and this second 

 bee will deposit it in a cell. If this is among its first loads of honey from the 

 field it is apt to act in a frisky manner, shaking itself about as, it crawls 

 around on the comb for a few moments before giving its load to another bee 

 or depositing it. As soon as a field-bee disposes of its load of honey it may 

 take a few moments of rest somewhere in the hive before returning to the 

 field, or it may look around over the comb, and then return to the field. 

 Thus the tiny drops of honey are pouring into the comb, which, if jarred, will 

 rain out on the bottom ; or if the comb is turned to one side it will run out. 

 As soon as it is stored in the comb no time is lost in turning it into honey by 

 fanning it or sending a current of air through and over it, and by moving 

 it from place to place in the comb, and by injecting it into the honey-stomach 

 and throwing it back out, etc. Thus they keep it in a vibrating state for several 



