96 THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



the aphide exuviates a transparent saccharine fluid, which falls on 

 the leaves and ground surrounding- the plant or tree, causing a 

 glistening appearance. This substance has been known for 

 centuries by the name of "honey-dew." Ants, bees, and other 

 sugar-loving insects, eat this substance greedily, the bees storing 

 it in their cells in exactly the same manner as honey. It is the 

 latter proceeding on the part of the bees that causes so much loss 

 to the bee-keeper. If sections are sold containing any of this 

 aphidian excreta, the bee-keeper will assuredly lose his customer, 

 thus damaging his reputation beyond recovery. If the hive is stored 

 for winter with the stuff, the bees suffer, as it is not suitable food 

 for them to winter upon. This latter circumstance is most likely 

 to take place, as it is just after the honey-flow — when the bees' 

 instincts lead them to fill the lower portion of the hive or body- 

 box — that it is most frequently collected, as there is little else for 

 them to obtain. At certain seasons, and in certain districts, a 

 greater number of these insects will be found than at others.* For 

 the purpose of preventing the storing of it in the body-box, it is 

 best to commence rapidly feeding with good sugar syrup directly 

 it is found that the excreta is being stored in any quantity ; this is 

 the only defence to be made. Rain is the best preventive, as 

 that washes it from off the leaves. The storing of it in sections 

 can be prevented by removing them from the hive ; it is of no use 

 their remaining on, being of no value when filled. The appearance 

 of "honey-dew" is difficult of description. We will take, for 

 example, the case of a section being partially filled with honey, and 

 partially with aphide excreta. Hold it up to the light, and look 

 through ; in the centre the cells will be found to have a beautiful 

 golden transparent appearance — that is honey ; but surrounding 

 these cells, and in some places becoming intermixed with them, 

 a dark grey, semi-transparent substance is stored, appearing dead 

 and in marked contrast by the side of the honey — this is the excreta. 

 It has no rich colour as honey, but looks as if soot had been sparingly 

 mixed with sugar syrup, although it has no granular appearance. 

 Its taste to most people is extremely nauseous, although we have 

 met exceptional instances where it has been described as passable 

 honey. 



152. Fertile Workers. — In a normal condition there 

 is only one bee in the hive that has the power of reproduction — the 

 queen ; but when a hive has lost its queen, and is without the 

 means of rearing another, in some cases a worker or certain of 

 the workers usurp the functions of the queen, and commence to lay 

 eggs ; as these workers have not and cannot be fertilised by the 

 drone, the eggs laid produce drones ; as a consequence the stock, 

 unless provided with a queen, will die out. This condition of 



* Honey-dew is also ascribed to a disease of the leaves of the plants oa which it is 

 found (See "Dictionary of Gardening," article " Honeydew"). 



