Honeybee Mystery Read Free Page B

still!”
    â€œI think it’s neat,” Violet said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
    â€œDon’t sneeze, Henry!” Benny said. “And don’t itch, either.”
    â€œThanks, Benny,” Henry said. “I’ll try to remember that.”
    Benny turned and peered into the old-fashioned, igloo-shaped beehive behind them. “Is there any honey in here?”
    Henry, Jessie, and Violet turned and looked more closely at the old straw skep.
    â€œI doubt that, Benny,” said Clay. Smiling, he continued, “Once a worker bee has a full honey stomach, it flies back to the hive and deposits the nectar into one of these cells.” He pointed to one of the empty ones. It was about the size of the holes on the side of a piece of notebook paper.
    â€œHow does it get the nectar out of its honey stomach?” Benny asked.
    â€œWell, if you must know … it sort of spits it out.”
    Jessie made a face and put a hand on her own stomach. “Lovely.”
    Clay shrugged. “What can I tell you? That’s how they do it. Anyway, they put the nectar into one of these cells, and then they seal the cell with wax. Bees also make wax, by the way. I guess you figured that out on your own.”
    â€œWe knew about beeswax,” Jessie said. “We’ve heard people say, ‘Mind your own beeswax.’”
    â€œI say that to Clay all the time,” Dottie said. Everyone laughed, even Henry.
    â€œThat’s right, she does,” Clay replied. “And that’s when I come out here.”
    â€œVery funny, Clay,” Dottie said.
    â€œThank you, dear.”
    â€œWhat happens to the nectar once it’s in the cell?” Violet asked.
    â€œWhile the nectar is in the bee’s honey stomach, certain chemicals are added to it. Then, while the nectar is in the cell, the water in the nectar disappears and the chemicals from the bee’s stomach blend with the nectar to create honey. It’s actually pretty simple.”
    Henry said, “But obviously that’s not happening here, right?”
    Clay nodded. “That’s right. For some reason the honey isn’t forming.” Clay reached under one of the hive boxes and pulled out a tray. It was filled with an off-white fluid that looked like watery milk.
    â€œThis is what I’ve been getting instead of honey. It’s not getting thick.” He poured it onto the ground and replaced the tray.
    â€œWhat a mess!” Benny said.
    â€œSure is. This stuff keeps flooding the trays, and the bees aren’t too happy, I’m sure. But I don’t know why it’s happening. That’s the mystery.
    â€œBut anyway, now that you all understand the basics of beekeeping, what do you think? Any ideas?” He took the comb back from Henry and returned it to the hive box. Once all the bees had flown away, Henry removed his hat and gave a big sigh of relief.
    â€œI think we should follow the order of how the bees make their honey to look for clues,” Jessie announced.
    â€œSounds like a smart plan,” Dottie said.
    â€œI agree,” Henry added. “If we sort of follow the bees through each step, we might come across something unusual.”
    â€œSo where do we start?” Benny asked.
    â€œIn the field of flowers,” Violet answered. “Right?”
    â€œRight,” Henry said with a single nod.
    â€œWhile you’re doing that,” Clay said, “I’ve got to go take care of some things in the barn.”
    â€œAnd I’ve got to do some work in the house,” Dottie added.
    â€œMaybe I can lend a hand while my grandchildren do their clue hunting,” Grandfather said. “What do you say, Clay? Could you use some help?”
    â€œSure,” Clay answered, patting Grandfather on the back. “Come on.”

CHAPTER 3
    The First Clue
    T he field of wildflowers was much bigger than it first looked, as the Alden children quickly