The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-22
A HONEY NINE.
1t Is in California, and Is the Largest
Beehive in the World.

San Francisco Call.
Did you ever see bee tree with a swarm
of bees around It? Well, magnify this about
ten thousand times and you will have a
slight idea of a natural beehive in Mendo-
elmo county, California, not far from
Ukiah. But this one is not in a tree. 1t is
in a rift in the face of a cliff and tradi-
ton has it that there is large cave on
the inside where the myriadS of busy in
SectS make their homes
This great natural curiosity is known to
residents of the adjacent country as Bee
rock and they have grown to look upon
it as commonplace, when in reality it is
the only beehive of the kind in existence.
There is no danger of a person getting
very near to this natural beehive without
knowing 1t, for at all hours of the day a
swarm of insects hover about several hun
dred feet in all directions An incessant,
maddening buzz fills the air that can be
heard an eighth of a mile and serves as a
warning not to venture too near But men
do venture near after having first put on a
suit of leather clothing, fastened a mask OF
wire screen around their hatbrim and
lighted a good big torch. These precautions
are absolutely necessary.
1t takes nerve to approach close to the
opening in the rock and the expert nee is
a never-to-be-forgOtten one. Bees to the
number of millions of millions will light on
the intruder, humming fiendishly, and en-
deavoring to sting him to death. They
form a perfect cloud, and the air is filled
with fetid smell and fine dust that gets
through the wire screen and causes an IT.
rftation to the eyes. The tiny insects really
show signs of viciousness and fly into the
flames of the torch in countless numbers as
though they intended to extinguish it.
Round and round they fly with a deafening
buzz and strong indeed is the man who can
stand the onslaught of the tiny foes for
more than a few minutes.
1t is almost impossible to make out just
where the entrance TO this natural beehive
is. There is a sort of cavern in the cliff
that seems to have a crack through the
inner wall from top to bottom, but most OF
the bees hover around a hole about eight
cen inches wide, and appear to make that
the point of ingress and egreSs. Many days
1t IS impossible to even see the cliff, SO
thickly covered is ii with the insects. and
they roll in and out of the opening like a
stream of molasses.
During the summer dead birds can al
ways be seen on the ground around the
mouth of the hive They have been Stung tC
death while attempting to fly through the
swarm of insects. Four-footed creatures
never venture within half a mile of the
hive, seeming to know that death turks
there.
a pile of dried honey that has flowed from
the interior. 1t looks like heap of molten
lava that has been hardened after being
discharged from volcano.
party of men living in the vicinity
claim to have entered the natural beehive
several years ago. They selected cold
day in winter, when the bees were halt
dormant, and poured coal oil and benzine
around and into the opening. Then they
made d big fire of wood, so that the whole
cavern was filled with flames Then they
poked the red-hot embers down into the
opening and so killed every bee in 1t.
But there was not much to see after the
men got inside. Only a large cave, with
the walls covered with wax and dried honey
and enough of the sweetness in pools in
the bottom to last big city for several
years OF course, the honey was unfit for
use on account of being full of dead bees
and ashes from the fire. The men, how
ever, did not linger in the cave any great
length of time, as it was foul-smelling and
sitting. Although countless millions OF
bees must have been destroyed on this &C.
casiOn, the next summer they were as nu-
merous as ever and just as vicious.
Indians of the neighborhood say that In
1.-The good old days" the bad men of their
tribe were bound hand and foot and carried
to within short distance of the beehive
by men wrapped in blankets. There the
helpless creatures We're left to suffer the
awful agony of being stung to death.