The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-05
BIG INDIAN HONEY BEES.
AN EXPEDITION TO BE SENT AFTER
a STOCK.

Active Gatherer OF Eoney-Instruct-
i've Facts for Apiarists.
From the Pittsbur0 Dispatch.
The department Of agriculture is about 10
send an expedition to India for the purpose
Of procuring certain giant bees which are
wild il that country. They are the biggest
species known in the world and they build
combs In the forests as large as ordinary
house doors. These huge combs, says the
Washington Star, hanging from the limbs
OF lofty trees or from projecting lodges OF
rock at a high altitude, give enormous
quantities Of wax. Bee hunting is profess
sion in India.
The bee hunters wear no clothing save
breechclouts. They have a superstitious
fear OF the insects. Though dreading to en-
counter them on fair terms they are very
skillful in attacking their nests by strata
gem. Their usual method is to climb the
tree from high limb OF which the comb
depends, swinging bslow the hive a long
stick with q bunch Of ignited leaves on
the end Of 1t, until the bees are driven out,
many of them falling with singed wings to
the ground, but the majority ascending into
the air above the comb and lowering In a
cloud. THIS opportunity is taken by the
seeker after spoil TO cut away the great
corab, which he quickly lowers by means of
a rope to the ground below. One gets no
ton OF the vast quantities OF honey and
wax collected in this manner from the stores
OF the latter material TO be seen in the ware
houses aud shops Of the cities, tons upon
tons OF it together. 1t is an article Of ex-
tensive export from Iddia
The proposition is to fetch these bees TO
this country and domeSticate them here IL
possible. II they could spread their charms
in the semi-tropical forests OF the United
States they might be made TO supply con-
siderable crops Of the fuest and most value
bic wax.
THE DRoNES ARE OF ORDINARY SIZE
Curiously enough the drones Of this spe-
cies are no larger than the ordinary bees,
and this fact affords reason for hoping that
they will mate with the females Of stocks
already acclimated here. These wonderful
insects from India have longer tongues than
are possessed by other bees, and the belief
is entertained that they could secure from
many kinds Of flowers honey which now
goes to waste. Dreadful stories are told In
the country where they belong Of their
extraordinary ferocity, and Of attacks
which they have made upon whole villages
Of people with fatal results but the fact has
been demonstrated that capable bes-keepers
can handle them easily and safely.
Considerable numbers OF humble bees
have recently been imported from Europe
into Australia and New Zealand. Hitherto
growers of red clover in those countries
have been obliged to obtain seed for plant
log each year from England, because this
crop produced no seed for lack of humble
bees to fertilizo the blossoms. Bundle bees
find in red clover their favorite diet, and
without their aid in distributing pollen this
plant would perish off the face OF the earth.
Finding II very expensive TO import their
red clover annually. the farmers of the
countries mentioned decided to procure
humble bees for themselves Accordingly
lot were taken while in the alternating
stage. during cold weather, packed in moss
and carried over the ocean In the refrigera-
tor compartment OF ship. They were set
loose on arrival and already they have null
tiplied SO numerously in that part of the
world that 1t Is feared that they will become
q nuisance by consuming all the flower
juices which the honey bees require for their
own purpose. 1t seems to be the same way
with every sort Of animal that is introduced
to Australia. Invariably the beast, bird or
insect proceeds at once 90 flourish TO such
an extent as to upset the normal balance Of
creation.
BUMBLE BEES ARE ACTIVE WORKERS.
Bundle bees are generally supposed to be
OF no particular use in the world. 1t is not
their fault. They are active and indus
trious honey gatherers, but there are never
enough of them IN one colony TO make a
store worth taking. When winter comes
the queen humble bee seeks a place In the
ground for hiding safely during the cold
months She finds such a spot beneath
moss or perhaps in a heap of leaves. There
she hibernates comfortably, remaining fast
asleep until spring arrives. The warm sun
of approaching summer awakens her and she
crawls out. Immediately she looks about
her for a nest suitable to breed In. An old
nest vacated by field mice serves her pur-
pose admirably. Having settled upon quar-
ters, she begins collecting pollen from fiow-
ers, storing it away in two pockets which
she carries on her hind legs. Into the nest
chosen she puts the dollen and goes for
more, fetching load after load until she has
formed ball Of pollen perhaps as IN UGH as
an inch in diameter. In the ball OF pollen
she lays her eggs, and after a few days they
are Matched, bringing forth little worm-like
larvae,
The larvae Matched in the mass OF pollen
feed upon the nutritious material, consum-
ing the portionslnearest at hand, until each
ono has cleared little room. Then it pro-
ceeds to spin a COCOON around itself,
and after little while 1t CONES out Of this
chrYsalis full-hedged worker bee. AL
most Immediately these new fledged bees be-
gin gathering pollen, which they contin-
ually add to the original lump, making IL
bigger and bigger, while the queen goes on
laying eggs In it as long as warm weather
lasts. Perhaps before winter errlves the
mass will have grown to the size of ones
two fists. 1t is literally honeycombed with
cells from which the young bees have made
their escape, and these empty chambers are
used for the storing of honey. Most of the
honey gathered by humble bees Is obtained
from red clover.
ONLY QUEENS SURVIVE COLD WEATHER.
Up to nearly the end OF the summer the
queen lays only worker eggs-that is to say,
eggs which produce females which are un-
developed sexually. They are the honey
gathering and comb-building class. When
autumn is coming on, however, she pro-
duces males-called drones. AT the same
period also she lays eggs which give birth
to fully developed females, an of which are
destined to be queens the following year.
These females mate with drones and thus
are rendered able 70 reproduce their species
in the next season. From six to twelve of
the future queens are turned out by each
hive. When cold weather arrives they
crawl into snug places, where they hiber-
nate during tie winter, gathering pollen in
the spring and laying their eggs in it. Thus
is completed the cycle of their species. Only
the queens survive, all the workers and
drones dying.
Thus it may be said that every humble
bee hive is wiped out each autumn. Here
is one Of the reasons why this genus OF
apide is not useful to mankind They do
not gather in numbers sufficient to accumu-
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