15 



undergoes a slight change In the honey stomach by the action of the 

 bees' saliva, and is called honey when stored in cells. The color, 

 aroma and flavor varies according to the variety of plants from which 

 it is obtained. Color ranges from water white to dark brown or black 

 in some cases. Its consistency depends upon its water content which 

 is controlled largely by the season of production, atmospheric condi- 

 tions, soil moisture and variety of plants from which produced. It 

 often contains as high as 90 percent water, especially that produced 

 from white clover is sometimes so thin when first gathered that it 

 drops from the comb when handled by the apiarist. Honey remains 

 in this state a comparatively short time, then passes through a pro- 

 cess that is popularly known as ripening; which however, is merely 

 a reduction of the water content by evaporation. Evaporation, or driv- 

 ing off the excess moisture, is done by the normal warmth of the hive 

 and a circulation of air through the hive brought about by a fanning pro- 

 cess with the wings. During a heavy honey flow, rows of bees may be 

 seen facing the hive along the entrance and often extending to the 

 alighting board and even on the inside distributed over the combs, 

 with their wings moving with such rapidity that they are invisible. 

 This not only serves as an agency to assist evaporation but circulates 

 pure air to the interior and regulates the temperature to the proper 

 degree for brood development which remains rather uniform at ap- 

 proximately the same degree as that of human blood heat. The quan- 

 tity produced from the different blossoms differs as well as the quality; 

 likewise the flavor and color. As a rule those plants blooming early 

 in the season produce the lightest colored honey, while those bloom- 

 ing during late summer and early autumn produce the darkest colors. 



Bees do not always confine their nectar gathering to flowers, but 

 sometimes they gather a sweet substance known as honey dew, which 

 is mainly produced by aphids or plant lice, although in some instances 

 it is an exudation from the leaves of certain plants. This sweet is 

 very poor In quality and not accepted as honey. Since the beekeeper 

 cannot prevent the bees from gathering It during some seasons, the 

 sale of it must be tolerated, but for manufacturing purposes only. 

 Where any appreciable amount is stored, it should be removed from 

 the hive. Bees should never. If possible, be allowed to use It as food ■ 

 in wintering. 



The quantity of nectar gathered in one day may vary from a few 

 ounces to twenty pounds or even more, but an amount of this gain 

 will be lost through evaporation in the process of ripening. It has 

 been demonstrated by a large number of apiarists that twenty-flve 

 to thirty percent of the weight of fresh honey disappears during the 

 first day. When honey becomes sufficiently ripened, the bees seal or 

 cap the cells with a thin covering of wax. 



POIiljBN OR "BEE BREAD!" 



Bees do not visit flowers for nectar only, but for pollen which serves 

 as part of the food for bees both in the developing and active periods. 

 It is gathered upon the tiny bristles on the legs and body hairs, and 

 during the flight from flower to flower, it is worked Into a pellet, on 



