bee-keeper's manual. 101 



I 



draw out long threads of this viscous substance from the 

 exudations of trees, and to lodge them in the cavities of 

 their legs, and as soon as one bee had completed its load, 

 another bee was very conveniently at hand to continue 

 the same process, until a sufficient quantity had been 

 obtained. They then bagan to knead and work it like 

 an Irish laborer compounding a heap of mortar, and 

 when in a proper state of attenuation, they proceeded 

 to line and solder their cells. By the way — lining and 

 soldering cells with propolis, is not a branch of labor be- 

 longing to the architecture of the bee at all. Cells are 

 made perfect with wax alone, and Huber has here made 

 an assertion that proves him not to be entitled to what 

 has been awarded to him, viz : the reputation of being 

 an accurate apiarian. 



PROPOLIS AN ELABORATED SUBSTANCE. 



It is probable, however, that propolis is an elaborated 

 substance — to say that it is positively so, would be pre- 

 sumption ; for it is barely a possible thing, to discover 

 the bees in the act of producing it, even admitting that 

 they do make itj so impenetrable to the eyes of man is 

 much of their labors, when clustered in darkness. 



Some apiarians consider it an elaborated substance, 

 of the same nature as wax — even wax itself, but a little 

 more colored; yet this hypothesis cannot be correct, 

 since wax and propolis are so different in tenacity and 

 color, that they cannot be one and the same thing. 

 If it be elaborated, and of a separate and distinct 

 nature, then arise difficulties as to the modus ope- 



