INSIDE THE HIVE.—Chapter VIII. 
the bees and carried in the honey-sac to the comb in the hive. In the pro- 
cess of gathering and storing, the nectar is evaporated and chemically 
modified by the bee, rendering it a partly digested sweet. Honey depends 
for its color, odor and flavor on the flowers from which it is gathered. These 
vary greatly; as for instance, buckwheat, orange or clover honey have their 
entirely different color, flavor and aroma. Honey contains a large per 
cent of water, especially when first deposited in the comb and before the 
bees have had a chance to evaporate (ripen) it. But there is a great dif- 
ference in the original density of honey, due to the difference in the nectar 
of various plants. For instance, white clover honey may contain as much 
as 75% or more of water when first gathered by the bees, and will often 
drip like water from the combs when handled. But the bees proceed at 
once to ripen it by evaporation. They accomplish this by the fanning of 
their wings within the hive and at the hive entrance as well as by the 
warmth of their bodies and, possibly, certain mouth processes. A quarter 
of the weight of freshly deposited honey may be evaporated within the 
first day after having been gathered. The bees cap the honey over when 
thoroughly ripened; but, whether capped over or not, honey grows thicker 
the longer it is left on the hive, unless the bees are compelled to leave it 
exposed by clustering in a smaller space on arrival of cooler weather. The 
amount of honey gathered by a strong colony of bees during a good honey 
flow and with good weather conditions may run from five or six to even 
twenty or more pounds a day. 
Honeydew, a sweet excreted by insects on certain plants and trees, is a 
substance sometimes gathered by bees and stored in the combs just as honey 
is stored. It is ordinarily a nuisance to the beekeeper unless it is used 
for brood-rearing as gathered, or stored in combs to be saved for feeding 
the bees next spring. It is not suitable as winter food for the bees except 
in a warm climate where the bees can fly freely every few days during the 
winter, and it is not suitable for market. 
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