30 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



liable to be attacked by tbe aphis which yields honey- 

 dew. A small quantity of it mixed with pure honey dis- 

 colours the whole, and makes it quite unsaleable. It 

 never candies or crystallises like good honey. Though 

 bees gather and eat it in times of scarcity, it is improper 

 food even for them. 



CHAPTEE IX. 



WAX. 



Wax is not gathered Kke pollen or propolis. The bees 

 have to manufacture it at very great cost, both to them- 

 selves and their owners. As mUk is manufactured in the 

 body of the cow, so wax is manufactured in the bodies 

 of bees. It is both a secretion and excretion of bees. In 

 collecting honey, bees cany it in their bags ; and when 

 they wish to make wax and build combs, some of the 

 honey goes into their intestinal canals, passes into the 

 iuices of their bodies, and scales of wax ooze from, or are 

 excreted on the under sides of, their bellies. Wax, then, 

 is a homespun article, wholly made by the bees them- 

 selves. Dr Liebig, in the appendix to his great work on 

 ' Animal Chemistry,' says that " bees have to consume 

 20 lb. of honey to make 1 lb. of wax, and 1 oz. of comb 

 holds 1 lb. of honey." We do not vouch for the accuracy 

 of Liebig's calculations or experiments ; but they are 

 stated merely to show that wax costs the bee-keeper a 

 great deal more than he gets for it in the market. But 

 we are not quite sure that 20 lb. of honey are consumed 

 in the manufacture of 16 oz. of wax. A swarm was put 

 into an empty hive. This swarm, hive, and board would 



