The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-25
THE GREATEST BEEHIVE.

Did you ever see bee tree with
swarm of bees around it? Well, mag
nifty that about 10000 times and you
will have a Slight idea of a natural
beehive in Mendocino county, not far
from Ukiah. But this one is not in
tree, says the San Francisco Call. 1t
is in a rift in the face of cliff, and
cave on the inside where the myriads
of busy insects 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; at least, the proba-
bilities are that it is, for no reference
to such a freak can be found in any
scientific or popular work on ento-
mology. In fact, the bees live there
contrary to all accepted theories in
regard to their habits. Natural bee
hives in hollow trees are all right, but
why this particular colony should
have selected hole in a rock is past
understanding.
There is no danger of a person get
ting very near this natural beehive
without knowing it, for at all hours
about several hundred feet in all di-
rections. 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, fas-
tened a mask of wire screen around
their hat brim and lighted good big
torch. These precautions are abso-
lutely necessary.
1t takes nerve to approach close to
the opening in the rock and the ex
perience is neVer-to-b e-forgotten
one Bees to the number of millions
of millions will light on the intruder,
humming fiendishly, and endeavoring
to sting him to death. They form a
perfect cloud, and the air is filed with
a fetid smell and a fine dust that gets
through the wire screen and causes an
irritation of the eyes. The tiny in,
sects really show signs of viciousness,
and flv into the flame of the torch in
countless numbers as though they in
tended to eXtinguish it. Round and
round they fly with 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
lust where the entrance to this natural
bee hive is. There is a sort of cavern
in the cliff that seems to have crack
through the inner wall from top to
bottom, but most of the bees hover
around a hole about eighteen inches
wide and appear to make that the
point of ingress and egress. Many days
it is impossible to even see the cliff,
so thickly covered is it with insects,
and they roll in and out of the open
ing like a stream of molaSSeS, fighting,
singing, buzzing with madness.
During the summer dead birds can
always be seen on the ground around
the mouth of the hive. They have been
stung to death while attempting to fly
through Tie swarm of insects Four
footed creatures never venture within
half a mile of the hive, seeming to
know that death turks there.
In front of the mouth of the hive
there is a pile of dried honey that has
flowed from the interior. 1t looks like
a heap of molten lava that has been
hardened after being discharged from
a volcano.
A party of men living in the vicinity
claim to have entered this natural bee
hive several years ago. They selected
a cold day in winter when the bees
were half dormant, and poured coal oil
and benzine around and into the open,
inc. Then they made a 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 it.
But there was not much to see after
the men got inside. Only large cave
with the walls covered with gum and
dried honey and enough of the sweet
ness in pools in the bottom to last big
city for several years. OF course, the
honey was unfit2for use on account of
being full ofgdead bees and ashes from
the fire. Tie men, however, 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 oc-
casion, the next summer they were as
numerous 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 a short distance
of the beehive by men wrapped in
blankets. There the helpless creatures
were left to suffer the awful agony of
being stung to death.