556 BEES-WAX. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



AN INQUIRY INTO THE SOURCE AND 

 NATURE OF BEES-WAX. 



IT has long been very generally and implicitly 

 believed, that the yellow matter (in other words, 

 the pollen or farina of flowers,) which bees visibly 

 collect upon their thighs, is the prime constituent 

 of wax, the material of the honey-comb. Even 

 BONNET and REAUMUR were of this opinion. BUT- 

 LER, PURCHAS, RUSDEN and THORLEY have argued 

 against its identity with wax ; and I trust that 

 the observations and experiments which I am 

 about to detail, will convince the dispassionate 

 inquirer of the fallacy of this old opinion. 



In the first place, It is to be observed, that 

 where no more comb can be built, as in old hives, 

 the bees carry in the greatest quantity of this 

 yellow matter. 



Secondly, That it differs materially from wax, 

 the latter when examined between the fingers 

 being adhesive, the former crumbly ; the latter 

 also liquefying on the application of heat, whilst 

 the former burns to ashes. 



Thirdly, That the wax of new combs, from 

 whatever source collected, is uniformly white ; 

 whereas the farina, as gathered by the bees, is 



