ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



101 



the "sting trowel theory." In part it 

 may be correct. Is this formic acid 

 valuable, and do the bees keep adding 

 it as it is being ripened? If so, nec- 

 tar evaporated outside of the hive will 

 vary in this respect. I would guess 

 that formic acid is added to the nec- 

 tar in its early stages of evaporation, 

 to prevent fermentation, for without 



larvae, to prevent the spread of diseas-* 

 es pecuhar to bees. The constitutional 

 strength of the bee, the vigor of the 

 bacillus, and the percentage of formic 

 acid in the honey, may- all have a bear- 

 ing upon the spread of disease in the 

 hive, and may be a factor in the degree 

 of immunity from diseases of certain 

 strains of bees. When the above points 



. a>.f*t'!:^'. ■'^.:'J-'::<.'T' -■ 



E. F. HOLTEKMANN, 



the formic acid in warm and muggy 

 weather, the condition would be fav- 

 orable to start fermentation, the tem- 

 perature of the hive never being high 

 enough to destroy the germs of fer- 

 mentation floating in the atmosphere 

 passed through the hive. 



The formic acid may also be there 

 to disinfect the honey to be fed to the 



are answered, we can better answer 

 what is the difference between ripen- 

 ing nectar in the hive and evaporating 

 it artificially. 



Aroma. 



As to the difference in the aroma or 

 flavor, it may be that the formic acid 

 in combination with the essential oil, 



.Js^iS£aS^^J^lSal^''~i=a^i:::...'^%,^^-~ . 







