78 COMH. 



Huber was the first to demonstrate that wax is a natural 

 secretion of the bee, when fed on honey or any saccharine 

 substance. Most Apiarians before his lime, supposed that it 

 was made from pollen or bee-bread, either ia a crude or 

 digested state. He confined a new swarm of bees in a hive 

 placed in a dark and cool room, and on examining them, at 

 the end of five days, found several beautiful white combs in 

 their tenement : these were taken from them, and they were 

 again confined and supplied with honey and water, and a 

 second time new combs were constructed. Seven times in 

 succession their combs were removed, and were in each , 

 instance replaced, the bees being all the time prevented from 

 ranging the fields, to supply themselves with bee-bread. 

 By subsequent experiments he proved that sugar answered 

 the same end with honey. He then confined a swarm, 

 giving them no honey, but an abundance of fruit and pollen. 

 They subsisted on the fruit, but refused to touch the pollen ; 

 and no combs were constructed, nor any wax scales formed' 

 in their pouches. 



Notwithstanding the extreme caution and unwearied pa- 

 tience of Huber, in conducting these experiments on the 

 secretion of wax, later observations seem to show, that he 

 had not discovered the whole truth on this important subject. 

 He has demonstrated, to be sure, that bees can construct 

 comb from honey or s.ugar, without the aid of pollen, and 

 that they cannot make it from pollen, without the honey or 

 sugar : but he has not proved that when permanently de- 

 prived of pollen they can continue to work in wax, or if 

 they can, thai the pollen does not assist in its elaboration. 



A portion of pollen is always found in the stomach of a 

 wax-producing worker, and bees appear never to build comb 

 so rapidly, as when they have free access to this article. 

 It must, therefore, either furnish some of the elements of 



