THE HONEY BEE FAMILY 31 



The normal food of the bee is honey and 

 pollen, both of which are gathered from flow- 

 ers. Water is essential, especially during 

 brood rearing and the bees seek it eagerly in 

 early spring. In time of scarcity bees will take 

 fruit juices or other sweets, but when there is 

 plenty of nectar in the fields they pay httle at- 

 tention to anything else. At such times even 

 honey may be exposed in the open air for days 

 without attracting the bees. 



Nectar. — Since the bees are laiown to be 

 very useful in distributing the pollen among 

 the flowers it seems that nectar is secreted for 

 the purpose of attracting the bees and other 

 insects and thus insuring proper fertilization 

 of the bloom. When first gathered by the bees 

 it is very thin and watery, but a change of com- 

 position, called inversion, takes place in the 

 honey sac of the bee, in which it is carried to the 

 hive. After being placed in the cells it is evap- 

 orated and thickened and finally sealed. If 



