NECTAB AND HONEY-DEW 165 



This together with a curved flower stalk effectually 

 prevents undesirable visitors. 



A bee-keeper in New South "Wales reported Maize 

 secreting a sweet substance at the base of the leaves. 

 "A good flow is on here just now, but the source of the 

 honey is somewhat of a mystery. At first I attributed it 

 to Thistle, but now I fancy it is honey-dew. The quality 

 is excellent, being of good flavour and of a beautiful 

 golden colour. I am inclined to think that Maize pro- 

 duces honey — not from the flower, but from the leaf 

 joints. I have noticed bees collecting nectar from the 

 cavity between the leaf and the stalk. Some become 

 imprisoned there. The secretion occurs after exception- 

 ally heavy rain, such as we had in January, and there is 

 no doubt that it has a sweetish taste." It is not a rare 

 thing in Australasia for apiarists to extract considerable 

 quantities of honey-dew. Honey-dew is from psyllids, 

 which are the cause of leaf manna or "lerp" and coccids, 

 which surround themi selves with manna, but the bulk of 

 it comes from the aphids. There is a big distinction to 

 be made between honey-dew and floral honey. 



NECTAR. 



As already pointed out, true honey is nectar gathered 

 from the nectaries of the flowers. The Eucalypts are 

 splendid yielders of floral honey, and while all the honey 

 has a characteristic flavour it varies in colour from 

 almost water-white to dark amber. "Eed Gum," 

 "Yellow box," and "Eed box" are probably the lightest 

 coloured, and "Karri" and "Jarrah" about the darkest. 

 Even the trees vary a little in each locality. "Stringy- 

 bark" honey is splendid in Gippsland, but in New South 

 Wales it is described as "having a rather acrid flavour — 

 seems to catch one in the throat. ' ' 



Considering that a pound of honey is made up of 

 20,000 bee-loads the following record provides material 

 for thought. Here is one from Eedland, Victoria. "In 



