Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-05-25
A Culiiorni. Bee Ranch.

Unlike the wild "bumble-bee, as IL
commonly called, the honey-oee Is
not an original native of this country.
Its ancestors came over with the Pil-
grim Fathers from England or Holland
and year by year their descendants
followed the course of civilization
westward. Restless swarms escaping
from the farmers hives, and failing to
respond to the seductive music Of tongs
and TIN pans with which the frantic
owners tried to recover them, the fugi-
tives took to the woods and formed in
dependent colonies in the cavities OF
decaying trees. These colonies in turn
cent out new swarms every year, and
peopled the forests with wild bees that
gradually lost all recollection of the
hives of civilization. They were called
by the Indians s'the white mans fly"
There were no wild honey-bees west
of the Mississippi river previous to
1897, and they did not make their way
to the Pacific coast until more than
half a century later, when hives OF
bees were carried thither by settlers.
Then the old story was repeated. Fugi-
tive swarms from the hives escaped
into the forests, and wild bees soon
became ABUNDANT, just as they had
spread through the forests Of longer
settled portions of the country.
The method of hunting wild bees In
California is the same as in our West
ern and Southern States. In India,
Africa and the Indian islands the bee
hunter has a servicesble friend and
partner in the bird called "the honey
guide" member of the cuckoo fami-
ly, by which he is unerringly guided
to the tree where the wild bees build
their nest. The American bee-Aunter
is compelled to resort to other methods.
He carries with him into the woods
box containing a small portion OF
honey, and perhaps some mints or es-
sences which are attractive TO bees.
He waits patiently until the bees coli
Ieet about the bog, and when they
have gorged themselves with the Sc
ductive sweets, watches them keenly
as they rise circling in the air. As
soon as bee sees some familiar land
mark it makes a straight line through
the air for home, and the line of flight
is carefully noted by the hunter. When
several bees have flown away in the
same direction the hunter removes his
box to another spot, and the same
operation is repeated; and the inter
section of the lines of flight gives him
very nearly the position of the tree in
which the wild bees have built their
nest.
The hunter now proceeds to find the
spot. His hopes may be doomed to dis
for the tree may hold
new swarm, and the store of honey
may be very small. But if the tree
should chance to be the abode OF an
old colony, his venture may be re-
warded by booty of many hundred
pounds of wax and honey. After the
tree has been cut down or the limb
the nest has been sawed
off, the bees are driven out by burn
ing straw or grass, and the rich spoil
Is then removed. IL the hunter wishes
to remove the whole bee colony to his
farm or ranch, he Will carefully close
the openings through which the bees
pass in and out, and transfer the limb
to his apiary, whero the bees may be
drummed into hives containing honey
and brood comb. They soon become
to their new quarters, and
resume the habit of storing up honey
for their owner.
Bee culture has become an import |
ant branch of industry in California,
especially since the Introduction OF the |
Italian bee, which has been found to
produce a honey much superior TO that
If the common species. The methods |
followed in California do not differ in
my essential particulars from those
pursued in other parts of the country. !