PRODUCTS OF BEES 133: 



that it is one of the most wholesome and 

 nutritious of foods. 



The same thing may be said, in a less degree, 

 of beeswax, which has been, for many purposes, 

 largely superseded by the cheaper paraffin and 

 vegetable waxes. None of them are of such high 

 quality, however, owing to the fact that it requires 

 a much higher temperature to melt beeswax. 

 We are all familiar with the candles which buckle 

 up on a warm day, and where these profess to 

 be made of wax, it may be taken for certain that 

 not bees' but paraffin wax is the chief constituent. 



Quite a number of people seem to think that 

 wax is gathered, like honey, from the flowers. 

 Probably the " waxy " appearance of certain 

 flowers gives rise to this erroneous notion. As 

 a matter of fact, wax is a secretion from the body 

 of the bee, taking place in little pockets, of 

 which there are eight, situated on the underside 

 of the abdomen. The wax issues in the form 

 of transparent pentagonal scales, somewhat like 

 small chips of mica. Before making use of it, the 

 bee mixes it with saliva and grains of pollen, so 

 that wax varies greatly in colour. Some combs 

 are built as white as snow, others have quite a 

 primrose colour. 



Wax secretion is believed to be voluntary, and 

 only takes place after the bees have consumed 

 a considerable quantity of food and hung sus- 

 pended in a high temperature for some time. 



