Mr. Hunter's Observations on Bees. 145 
food, and which will be ready when the weather is wet. I 
have also observed, that when the weather has either been so 
cold, or so wet, in June, as to hinder a young swarm from going 
abroad, they have yet in that time formed as much new comb, 
as they did in the same time when the weather was such as al- 
lowed them to go abroad. I have seen them bring it in about 
the latter end of March, and have observed, in glass hives, the 
bees with the farina on their legs, and have seen them disposing 
of it, as will be described hereafter. 
The wax is formed by the bees themselves ; it may be called 
an external secretion of oil, and I have found that it is formed 
between each scale of the under side of the belly. When I 
first observed this substance, in my examination of the work- 
ing bee, I was at a loss to say what it was : I asked myself if it 
was new scales forming, and whether they cast the old, as the 
lobster, &c. does? but it was to be found only between the scales, 
on the lower side of the belly. On examining the bees through 
glass hives, while they were climbing up the glass, I could 
see that most of them had this substance, for it looked as if the 
lower, or posterior edge of the scale, was double, or that there 
were double scales ; but I perceived it was loose, not attached. 
Finding that the substance brought in on their legs was farina, 
intended, as appeared from every circumstance, to be the food 
of the maggot, and not to make wax ; and not having yet per- 
ceived any thing that could give me the least idea of wax ; I 
conceived these scales might be it, at least I thought it neces- 
sary to investigate them. I therefore took several on the 
point of a needle, and held them to a candle, where they melted, 
and immediately formed themselves into a round globe; upon 
which I no longer doubted but this was the wax, which opinion 
MDccxcir. U 
