50 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS ON APICULTURE. 



honey shipped annually from the islands is largely or entirely honey- 

 dew honey. By far the greater pari of this conies from the exuda- 

 tions of the sugar-cane leafhopper (Perkinsiella saccharicida Kirk.) 

 and possibly some of it from the sugar-cane aphis {Aphis sact 

 Zehnt.), although while on the islands the author observed none of 

 the latter species. (See PL IX, fig. 1, showing an apiary near a field 

 of sugar cane.) Of course, in a tropical country there are many other 

 insects producing more or less honeydew. The young " plant cane ' : 

 is most abundantly covered with leafhoppers. 



Honey dew from the sugar-cane leafhopper is very dark amber in 

 color and slightly ropy. In flavor it very strongly resembles mola 

 from the cane juice. Since the color and flavor are so marked, a small 

 amount of this when mixed with the mild, light-colored algarroba 

 honey imparts the color and flavor of honeydew to the entire amount. 

 Most honeydew honeys on the mainland granulate very rapidly, but 

 this type does not granulate at all. Samples several years old are as 

 clear as when first extracted. 



The chemical composition a of Hawaiian honeydew honey is quite 

 unlike that of floral honey, and this fact has led to the charge of 

 adulteration by buyers on the mainland and in foreign markets. 

 Since nowhere else, as far as the author is aware, is honeydew honey 

 produced in such large quantities, it is not strange that cursory ex- 

 aminations were misleading. The author saw enough while on the 

 islands to convince him that, however unlike floral honey this product- 

 may be, it is a natural sweet product collected and stored by the bee 

 and is then extracted and shipped with no additions of other sugars. 



When the food and drugs act of 1906 went into effect the Ha- 

 waiian Bee Keepers' Association sent a representative to Washington 

 to find out under what name they could market their crop, since it 

 does not conform to the standard of the Association of Official 

 Agricultural Chemists. They were informed that it could be sold 

 on the mainland market provided it were labeled just what it is. This 



" Chemical composition of Hawaiian honeydew honey made from sugar-cane 



honeydew. 









[From Bulletin No. 



110, Bureau of Chemistry. 



p. 37. 









Polarization. 



Complete analysis. 



Free 

 acid 

 as 

 for- 

 mic. 



Re- 

 duc- 

 ing 



su- 

 gars 



as 

 dex- 

 trose. 





direct. 



Invert. 





Im- 

 medi- 

 ate, 

 20° C. 



Con- 

 stant, 

 20° C. 



Bi- 

 rota- 

 tion. 



20° C. 



87° C 



Dif- 

 fer- 

 ence. 



Wa- 

 ter. 



In- 

 vert 



su- 

 gar. 



Suc- 

 rose. 



Ash. 



Dex- 

 trin. 



Un- 

 de- 

 ter- 

 min- 



ed. 



Remarks. 



+ 24.9 



+ 17.75 



T.» 



+13. 53 



+34.76 



21. 23 



15.46 64.84 



5. 27 



1.2910.01 3.13 0.15 



62. 1 



High in chlorid. 



