The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-09-08
BEES WITH NO STINGs

bEEO WITH NU STINGS
BusY LzrrLs HONEY aErrERs o,
HONDURAS.
Thfs clinatS Too Cold For Them
The Pigmies Among Bees->Why
EtinG7sss Bees Are in Demand
] TnNnrr..s' Go,1.ao. i'm.
Nj written TO tho Department
Of Agriculture Offering tc
| ssfd to this country some oi
the stingless bees which are native to
Central America. IL il were possible
ID domesticate them here, says the
Washington Star, there would be
great advantage in doing so, mas
much rs the sting of the bee is the
chief obstacle to bee culture in the
United States: The idea Of producing
bees without stings by selection in
breeding has often been suggested,
but IL is not considered practicable by
scientific apisrists. The tropical in
sects reforTed to are cousins to tho
true money bees, being grouped ZOO
logically between the latter and tho
humble bees. They make excellent
honey, which, though less sweet than
that sold In Northern markets, has an
aromatic perfume and delicious flavor
OF it's own. Some of it is said to be
poisonous, but it is not 80 ordinarily.
Of these bees, which are very small,
there are twenty-six species in Central
and South America, where they have
Env in Il 10
They belong to the genus "Meli-
ponae." TT high lacking -stins,-they-
possess osR6f3 ieans of defence. They
not only bfSea hther sharply with their
jaws, like ants, but they do their best
to crawl into the ears and nostrils of
anybody who attacks them. Some
species are very spiteful, but others
arc comparatively amiable-notably
the ''scutellaris, which is the one
most commonly domesticated in Bra
zil. The hives employed are usually
hung from roofs and vernndns. Some
times they are of earthenware, but
more often they are made of hollow
logs two or three feet long, closed at
tho ends with circular plugs of woods.
When hive is judged by it's weight
to be full, the plugs are withdrawn
and the honey is removed These
bees have been kent since prehistoric
times by the na..>cs
Their honey Is contained not in
hexa8onal cells, but in wax bags rs big
as pigeons eggs. These are hung
around the interior walls Of the hive
and are usually about half full, hold
hn or Tx&h &c
sacks will bear. On one side of tho
tree OF log occupied by the bees is IA
hole just big enough to admit the mem.
bers of the colony ono at time. At
this hole single bee always stands
sentinel, drawing back out of the way
every time that houscmatc enters or
loaves tho domicile. BY marking the
sentinel it has been ascertained that
the same individual does sentry duty
for whole day. The hole in the side
of the hive is the entrance to long
winding tube, which is built of the bee
glue obtained from the buds of plants.
For any hostile insect or other foe to
make its way through this narrow and
eagerly defended passage is so perilous
sR undertaking that .exep- the fnrcn
Birds and lizards are the greatest
enemies of these bees, the reptilian
robbers more particularly attacking
certain species which build their hives
underground. All that has been said
rs to tho habits Of the ''Meliponae"
applies in the main to their near re-
latives, the "Trigonae. The latter
are not peculiar to the New World, as
are their cousins just described, but
are found also in the East Indies and
in Australia. They are much smaller,
being in fact the pigmies among bees.
Their name, which means "three-cor
ncrcd," comes from the circumstance
that their abdomens are triangular in
shape. They have no stings, hut are
strong and very active in gathering
pollen and honey, carrying remarkably
heavy loads. The workers are black,
but the queen is dark yellow and
has huge abdomen, her wing being
not strong enough to lift her into the
air when she is filled with eggs. The
honey cells, which are as big as good
sized peas, are grouped in punches.
One thing which the Governor of
Honduras desired to know WAS whether
there was any duty on bees imported
into the United States. There ID none,
because they come in under the head
of "animals for breeding purposes. "
But the fatal objection to these honey
making tropical insects is that they
will not stand this climate. They can
not live in temperature below fifty
degrees Fahrenheit. In 1873 Edward
Drory, of Bordeaux, brought to
France forty hives of "Meliponae"
and "Trigonae." He kept them over
one winter by housing them in n
heated room, but eventually they died.
A few years ago T. F. Bingham shipped
hive of "Meliponae" to Michigan,
but he could not winter them. In
short, these little nectar-getters can.
not be domesticated in this country.
1t has been suggested that they might
be crossed with our own honey bees
advantagcously, to get rid the sting,
but it is almost certain that they
would not breed together, inasmuch ms
they belong to different genera.
On the other hand, the true honey
bees have been imported from Europe
into Cenfral and South Amprjrn