day 19 – honey bees
We spotted this on the way up the mountain Foia near the town of Monchique, Portugal. If anyone knows exactly what is going on in this picture, please comment on this post. All I can tell you is what you can see in the image. There were loads of bees buzzing around these rectangular blocks of waxy looking yellow stuff that looks like it has been collected in the bottom of something as a liquid and has solidified and now been removed. Is this what’s on the bottom of a bees’ nest? And why have they all been removed like this? I have facebooked a bee keeper/honey maker, someone who I met ages ago on my travels. Maybe she can shed some light on the matter. Regardless of what it turns out to be, it sure is a pretty colour.
luap photo 365 
There I am 😉
Seems to me, that the local bee keeper melted down his “old” honeycombs.
Normally you can do this by using a wax melter turned on by solar heat. When you’ve got the wax again, then you can build and press up new honeycombs, you can do handicrafts with it or just sell it.
The darker coulour on the wax blocs should be just on the top of it. This is either a mix of dirt (which breaks away on the top) or it is the rest of a different type of wax (which is prduced by the bees to cover the cells).
Everything smells sweet with honey and is drenched in their own aroma. That’s why there are still bees buzzing around.
But, this is just my suggestion…I’m no professional on this! Hope my words and thougts shed some light on the matter 😉
Thanks Bekks! That’s interesting to know.