Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-01-23
rHE WILD HONEY BEE.
They Are Creatures OF Civilization = Their
Habits aud Peculiarlties-


That abrupt and positive insect
kncw rs the honey-bee is eminentlv u
creature of civilization. 1t finds neither
pleasure nor profit in savagery aud
when YOU note one of these indie
fatigable individuals unloading some
rich flower. you may be sure that
church and the school-house are not
far away. There are certain forms OF
animal and vegetable life which flour
ish only in concert with civilization.
The bees have been mentioned. and.
as sample of the latter. white clover,
which may be termed the national
food of the honey-bee. might be pointed
TO. The honey-bee hasm requirement.
which confines its range to the timber
ed districts. 1t must have some hollow
tree for residence purposes.
As long rs civilization, literally
speaking, was in the woods, the bee
went with it. The earlier settlers and
the bee were hand in hand. and the
former plundered the latter and the
latter stung the former with equal per-
sistency through all the changing
seasons of the year. The Indians
realized in the advent of the bee the
beginning of their end. They knew it
was the fOrerunner of their fate; but
nevertheless employed themselves in
earnest quest of the honey it was known
to represent. and for which dripping
sweet commodity the aboriginal relish
was great. Western Missouri was per-
haps the greatest bee country that
ever existed. 1t was here that the tree
growth found its last expression in the
sparse and scrubby oak openings
which, in happy alteration Of tree and
grass and sunlight, afforded vast fields
for bee ambition to unfold itself. twas
here. too. the bee said goodbye TO the
white man as he was pushed out on the
prairie. Here the trees ceased and
here perforce the bees ceased also.
They could 60 no further. So as year
followed year, with new communities
of bees following hard the Old and all
checked and held by the eastern
boundary of the treeless plains. there
came at last a day in these parts when
n bee was swinging on every clover
bloom and every hollow tree possessed
its buZzing commonwealth.
Bee-hunting came into furious fash
ion. The method was simple and prim-
tive. A bee working on some flower
was captured. A little fluffy patch of
cotton was fastened TO its back with
paste of honey. He was released and
his flight narrowly watched. One of
the most worthy characteristics of this
admirable insect became the basis Of
overthrow. A honey bee means bust
ness. Nothing of the ocular, the
loiterer or the gossip bides in its make
up. Whenever arrived the time for
home. the bee proceeded thither in n
straight line. Thele was no turning
in ut this place to see man or stop
ping mt that to get a drink. Ittook the
shortest and directest route and made
a Decline of it. So was its Strengths
weakness. The bee-hunter got his
direction from the flight of the bee and
usually had but little difficulty in walk
ing straight 10 the tree. 1t was then
feled with an AK and its store of comb
honey taken possession of. The bees
of the tree attacked made little resist
ance. The catastrophe seemed to leave
them in state of bewilderment and
daze, and they either buzzed aimlessly
about or collected in pendant huddle.
clinging 10 some bough. The few who
attempted to interfere with the spoiler
at his work were easily disposed of
with little "smudge" of the leaves.
No sooner would IA bee tree fall than
bees from rival communities at ence
put in cheerful appearance and
worked away like so many enthusiastic
wreckers on some Cornish coast to
complete to their own profit the des-
poiation of their neighbors. AS to
whether the bees were taught this
lesson by man. or the latter gained it
from the bees there is some difference
of learned opinion. aud no attempt
will be made to settle the question here.
but sure it is there was something sad
ly human in the promptitude with
which the disaster of the one was made
the advantage of the other.