The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-08
Stingless Bees.

A CORRESPONDENT of the Beekeeper's g
Magazine writes: "During our stay on the
Island Of Cuba we employed much time
investigation its honey fora and the
quality of honey produced by each vari-
ETY.. On one occasion we were examining
the flowers of "a royal palm, which, stand
ing at the foot of rather steep hill and
ourselves at m elevation, brought the
circle of flowers within twenty feet of us.
We could with our powerful tield-glass
bring the bees, so to speak, so near that
the characteristics of the different kinds
were easily discovered. There were wasps,
yellow Jackets, bumb!ebces and Italians.
But what particularly attracted our at
tention was little insect which to olr
recollection was exactly like the stingless
bee of South America, which we had seen
or one or two occasions several years ago,
and we at once surmised they were iden-
tical. After good deal of inquiry we
finally learned thar our surmises were
correct, and that q colony of these
delightful little insects was in posses
sion of a native living several miles
away in the dense forests, engaged in
a primitive way in the production of
charcoal, Pedro Casanova and myself at
once set out on horseback and arrived at
the cabin of the Cuban just as the sun
was going down, and TO our delight found
the object of our search. The little beau
ties were located in the section of q
hollow log about six inches in diameter,
and two feet long, suspended by q rope
on the side wall of the cabin in a horizon
tai position. A little round hole, scarcely
q quarter of an inch in diameter, in the
centre of one end of the log, formed the
only place of exit or entrance; the other
end was closed with what seemed to be
n conglomeration of pollen, wax, resin
and some other moist and sticky mate
rial. Looking into the entrance hole, all
we could discover was the little white
fuzzy head of one of these insects peer
ing out at us in cautious, half-cowardly
manner The last OF these foragers were
just returning, and il was amusing to see
how swiftly, yet surely, they would al
ways dart from the air directly into
the little entrance hole without
ever once missing Or having to crawl
in, like our ordinary bees. In all their
movements they are as swift as lightning,
and we had great difficulty in catching
one, and more in keeoing him after being
caught. The other end of this log hive
was filled with plug, which being with
drawn, the lady of the house took
sharp pointed stick, and, reaching into
the centre of the hive, perforated several
of the largest bags; then, holding a
glass tumbler under and slightly elevat-
ing the other end of the hive, the honey
ran in stream. and soon nearly filed
the tumbler with very delicious but
rather thin honey. This honey is sup
posed by the natives to possess medicinal
virtues, and is sold at a high price, some
tning like the "buInblebec honey in
the city. with this difference: That the
former is the real honey produced by
stingless bees, while the latter, so far
as the bumblebee is concerned in its pro-
duction, is a myth; but so far as either
possesses any medical superiority over
ordinary honey, it must reside. entirely
with the faith of the patient.