82 The Honey-Makers 



glands in the bee's head, and doubtless acting as a pre- 

 servative against fermentation. 



Honey is generally thin and watery when first taken to 

 the hive, but as it is deposited in the cells less than a drop 

 at a time much of the extra water evaporates, and further 

 to facilitate evaporation the bees leave the cells uncapped 

 for several days when nearly full. Sometimes the bees 

 accelerate this "ripening" process by a vigorous fanning 

 which may continue all night when honey is coming in 

 fast. 



The more thoroughly the honey is ripened the less liable 

 it is to ferment, a fact in chemistry with which the bees 

 seem to be acquainted. 



The consistency of new honey depends somewhat upon 

 the source from which it was gathered and also upon the 

 haste with which it was stored. 



The relative amount of cane and grape sugar seems also 

 to depend upon the haste with which the honey was gath- 

 ered and stored, the best honey containing but from one 

 to three per cent of cane sugar, while^ poor honey, that 

 probably gathered quickly from abundant nectar close to 

 the hive and disgorged before the digestive juices have 

 completed their work, may contain as much as sixteen per 

 cent of cane sugar. 



The walls of the honey-sac are surrounded by delicate 

 muscles that by contraction are able to force the contents 

 back to the mouth, whence it is conveyed to the cells of 

 the honey-comb. 



If a bee is teased after a full meal, or suddenly fright- 

 ened, it will sometimes regurgitate the honey, which then 

 may be seen hanging to the proboscis. 



Since pollen must pass through the honey-sac into the 

 true stomach beyond, the question arises as to how the bee 

 is able to fill the combs v^fith clear honey containing but the 



