The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-05-09
How Bees Make Honey.


"a great many people think that
bees get honey from flowers" says the
Rev. Theodore Wood, in The London
Tribune, "but that Is quite a mistake,
for there is no honey in flowers. 1t is
true that many flowers have sweet
Juices. but sweet juices are not honey;
and before they can be turned into
honey they have to be swallowed by
a bee.
when a bee goes out on a honey
making expedition It depends a great
deal upon its tongue, which is very
long ana slender, and is covered all
over with stiff little hairs, SO that It
looks just like tiny brush. With this
the bee sweeps out the nectar from the
blossoms into Its mouth, and goes on
Swallowing 1t, mouthful after mouth
full, until It can swallow no more. But
the nectar does not pass into It's d.
gestive organs and serve as food. 1t
only passes into a little pouch, just
inside the hinder part Of the body,
which we call the honey bag When
this bag is quite full the bee files off to
its hive, and by the time that II arrives
there the contents Of the bag have
been turned into honey!
How this Is done | am sorry to say
I cannot tell you; for nobody has ever
been able to find out II we examine
the honey bag through the microscope,
we can find nothing to account for the
change. 1t seems to be just bag Of
tough skin, and nothing more. Yet,
in two or three minutes after the neo-
tar has been swallowed that wonder
full change takes place. And II bee
is fed with sugar and water instead OF
nectar, 1t will turn the sugar and water
into honey In just the same strange
way.
when the bee gets back to the hive
with its load It goes straight to hon.
eycomb, pokes its head into one OF the
cells and pours out the honey through
its mouth until its honey bag Is empty.
Then 1t flies off again to obtain more
nectar and make further supply. And
so 1t labors busily on from the first
thing In the morning till the last thing
at night, never being away from the
hive for more than few minutes at
a time, and always bringing back
fresh supply of honey In its wonderful
little bag
Now, perhaps you wonder how It Is
that the honey does not run out Of the
cells as soon as the bees have filled
them, for these cells do not stand up
right, but lie on their sides; and II
we were to lay an open barrel Of trea-
Gle on its side that barrel would very
soon be nearly empty, AS soon as the
honey is poured into the cell by the
bees, however, kind Of thick cream
arises to the surface and covers It.
And this cream holds the honey so
firmly in position that not even the
tiniest drop ever oozes out.
But when bees want to keep honey
for some little time-when they are
storing 1t up for use during the winter,
for instance-they are not satisfied
with this creamy crust, and are EVIL
IDENTIFY afraid that the contents Of the
cell may dry up. So they carefully COW
er It in with little waxen lid, which
makes the cell perfectly alright. Next
time that you have honeycomb for
breakfast, II you examine 1t carefully
you will find that nearly all the cells
are closed In this curious way.
Now, why do you think that the bees
take the trouble to make so many small
cells In which to store away their
honey? Why do they not make two
or three really big cells and keep 1t
all in those?
well, the reason is that they know
perfectly we'll that II honey is kept
in a large vessel 1t very soon becomes
thick, because the sugar in It forms
into crystals; and In that case they
cannot feed upon 1t. But as long as 1t
is kept in the small cells of the honey.
comb it remains quite fresh and liquid.
SO that all through the winter they
are able to use It as food"