176 THB BBE-KBEPBR'S GUIDE ; 



ing' is very rapid, and the hive becomes so filled that the queen 

 is unable to lay her full quota of egg's ; in fact, I have seen the 

 brood very much reduced in this way, which, of course, greatly 

 depletes the colony. This might be called ruinous prosperity. 

 The natural use of the honey is to furnish, in part, the 

 drones and imago worker-bees with food, and also to supply, 

 in part at least, the queen, especially when she is not laying. 



The product of the bees second in importance is wax. The 

 older scientists thought this was a product formed from pollen. 

 Girard says it was discovered by a peasant of Lusace. I<ang- 

 stroth states that Herman C. Hornbostel discovered the true 

 source of wax in 1745. Thorley in 1774, and Wildman in 1778, 

 understood the true source of wax. This is a solid, unctuous 

 substance, and is, as shown by its chemical composition, a fat- 

 like material, though not, as some authors assert, the fat of 

 bees. This is lighter than water, as its specific gravity is .965. 

 The melting point is never less than 144 degrees F. Thus, it 

 is easy to detect adulteration, as mineral wax, both parafliue 

 and ceresin, have a less specific gravity. ParafBne also has a 

 much lower melting point. It is impossible to adulterate wax 

 with these mineral products for use as foundation. They so 

 destroy the ductility and tenacity that the combs are almost 

 sure to break down. Ceresin might be used, but it is distaste- 

 ful to the bees, and foundation made from wax in which 

 ceresin is mixed would have no value. Only pure beeswax is 

 used in manufacturing foundation in the United States. I 

 have this on the authority of Mr. A. I. Root, whose dictum in 

 such matters is conclusive. 



As already observed, wax is a secretion from the glands 

 just within the wax-plates, and is formed in scales, the shape 

 of an irregular pentagon (Fig. 72, w) underneath the abdomen. 

 These scales are light-colored, very thin and fragile, and are 

 secreted by the wax-gland as a liquid, which passes through 

 the wax-plate by osmosis, and solidifies as thin wax-scales on 

 the outside of the plates opposite the glands. Neighbour 

 speaks of wax oozing through pores from the stomach. This 

 is not the case, but, like the synovial fluid about our own 



