BEE PRODUCTS, ETC, 35 



glands in the body of the bee, and moulded, in the shape of 

 tiny scales, in the wax pockets under the ventral plates (37. 

 Fig. 8). From these pockets the scales arc transferred to the 

 mouth, to be made flexible previous to being used in 

 comb building (10). The wax scales are " so thin and light 

 that one hundred of them hardly weigh as much as a kernel of 

 wheat. ' — {Dubini). For the secretion of wax, bees require a 

 temperature of from go° to g5° Fahr. They feed liberally, 

 and then form in clusters, remaining inactive in a high 

 temperature until, after about twenty-four hours, the honey, 

 converted into wax, appears as described above. 



63. Honey used in Wax Production.— Just what quantity of 

 honey is required by clustering bees for the production of 

 wax, it is not possible, with our present knowledge, to state 

 definitely. Opinions upon this subject vary considerably. 

 Until further discoveries have been made, it may be taken as 

 a fairly accurate estimate, that, according to the conditions 

 existing in the hive, from lo lbs. to i6 lbs. of honey are con- 

 sumed by clusters which produce i lb. of wax. If honey be 

 valued at 6d. per lb., and wax at is. 8d. per lb., it follows that 

 from 5s. to Ss. worth of honey is used in the manufacture of 

 IS. 8d. worth of wax, to which must be added the severe strain 

 upon the bees which wax production imposes, and the cost of 

 the devotion to that work of so many bees who might be more 

 profitably occupied elsewhere (73). 



64. Paraffin Wax and Ceresin Wax are mineral products, 

 unsuitable for bee hives. They are sometimes used for the 

 adulteration of beeswax by manufacturers of foundation, but, 

 being of a lower specific gravity than that of beeswax, their 

 presence as adulterants may be easily detected (114). 



65. Honey Comb The combs of a hive at swarming time 



will be found, on examination, to contain four distinct kinds 

 of cells, viz. — Worker cells ; Drone cells; Transition cells; and 

 Queen cells (183). 



66. Worker Cells (Fig. 14, O), in which worker bees are 

 reared, are about i" deep, and i" wide ; so that five cells 

 measure about i", and from twenty-seven to twenty-nine go to 

 the square inch (187). 



67. Drone Cells (Fig. 14, F), in which drone bees are reared, 

 are about I" deep, and i" wide ; so that four cells measure about 

 1", and from sixteen to eighteen go to the square inch (194). 



68. Hexagonal Cells. — Both worker and drone cells are six- 

 sided, or hexagonal — a shape which gives the greatest capacity 

 and strength with the least expenditure of material and labour 



