BEES-WAX. 357 



always black, yellow, or red, agreeing in colour 

 with the anther dust of the flowers in blossom at 

 the time of its collection. Moreover, the farina, 

 after it has been stored in the cells, retains its 

 original colour, whilst wax invariably changes, 

 first to a yellow, and lastly to a blackish tint. 

 Layers of different-coloured farina are generally 

 found in the cells, if slit down ; and every hive, 

 at the season of deprivation, possesses a store 

 of it. 



Fourthly, That fresh colonies carry in very 

 little, if any, of this matter, for some days after 

 swarming, though combs are formed within that 

 period. I noticed this fact in my first colony: 

 the swarm issued from the parent hive on the 

 18th of May ; five days of rainy weather suc- 

 ceeded : during this period the bees were pre- 

 vented from flying abroad ; I fed them nightly 

 with sugared ale, and before the return of fine 

 weather a considerable quantity of comb was 

 formed. Now excepting such materials as the 

 bees might have brought with them from the 

 parent hive, in this case, the sugared ale alone 

 must have been the source of the wax. HUISH 

 has remarked that unless bees have access to 

 water, and also to sugar or honey, no comb can 

 be formed. Again, it may be observed, that upon 

 the storifying plan, when fresh works are com- 

 menced in the duplets or triplets, if the farina 



