ANALYTICAL EVIDENCE. 295 



honey to support and nourish their bodies, they must have 

 consumed 13| oz. of honey in forming % of an ounce of 

 wax ; and consequently, to form 1 Ib. of wax, 20 Ibs. of 

 honey are required. This is the reason why the strongest 

 swarrns in the best honey seasons, when other hives, that 

 have no occasion to build, often gain in one day 3 or 

 4 Ibs. in weight, hardly become heavier, although their 

 activity is boundless. All that they gain is expended* in 

 making wax. This is a hint for those who keep bees, to 

 limit the building of comb. Cnauf has already recom- 

 mended this, although he was not acquainted with the 

 true relations of the subject. From 1 oz. of wax, bees 

 can build cells enough to contain 1 Ib. of honey. 



100 laminae of wax weigh 0-024 gramme (rather more 

 than 3 of a grain), consequently, 1 kilogramme (= 15,360 

 grains) will contain 4,166,666 laminae. Hence, j- of an 

 ounce will contain 81,367 laminae. Now this quantity 

 was produced by 2,765 bees in six days ; so that the bee 

 requires for the formation of its 8 laminae (one crop) 

 about thirty-eight hours, which agrees very well with my 

 observations. 



The laminae, when formed, are as white as bleached 

 wax. The cells also, at first, are quite white, but they 

 are colored yellow by the honey, and still more by the 

 pollen. When the cold weather comes on, the bees re- 

 tire to the hive under the honey, and live on the stock 

 they have accumulated. 



P. 54. Many believe that bees are hybernating ani- 

 mals ; but this opinion is quite erroneous. They are 

 lively throughout the winter ; and the hive is always 

 warm in consequence of the heat which they generate. 



