118 FOOD OF BEES. 



tender corollas of some blossoms, opposite the honey recep- 

 tacle, to reach the nectar, but this is of such rare instance, 

 in the honey-bee, that it cannot be considered of any prac- 

 tical value. 



261. The honey, when harvested, is stored in the rear of 

 the hive, above the brood, and as near it as possible. 



When just gathered, it is too watery to be preserved for 

 the use of the bees. To evaporate this water, they force a 

 strong current of air through the hive, and the bee-keeper 

 can ascertain the days of large honey-yield, by the greater 

 roar of the bees in front of their hive during the night fol- 

 lowing. If a strong colony is put on a platform scale, it 

 will be found, during the height of the honey-harvest, to gain 

 a number of pounds on a pleasant day. Much of this weight 

 will be lost in the night, from the evaporation of the newly- 

 gathered honey. A thorough upward ventilation, in hot 

 weather, will therefore contribute to increase the ripening 

 of honey. 



When the cell is about full, the bees seal it with a flat 

 cover or capping made of wax. This capping is begun at 

 the lower edge of the cell, and is raised gradually, as the 

 honey is deposited within, till the cell is entirely sealed. 

 These cappings being flat, depressed, or uneven, are easily 

 distinguished from the caps of the brood, which are convex 

 and of a darker color. 



262.. Are the caps of the honey-cells air-tight? This 

 much-debated question is not yet satisfactorily answered. 



The caps of the brood-cells, made of pollen and wax, are 

 undoubtedly porous enough to allow the air to reach the 

 larva ; and some Apiarists question the imperviousness 

 of the sealing of honey-comb. Mr. Cheshire himself, while 

 of opinion that " the bee aims at compact coverings for her 

 honey," says that " not more than ten per cent, of these are 

 absolutely impervious to air." Yet his own description of 

 the cause of the well-known whiteness of the cappings. 



