The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-22
BIG BEES OF THE EAST.
Honey Makers to BE Imported from
the Philippines.
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
There is one race inhabting the Phil
ippines which will be welcome addition
to American citizenship and it will be af-
forded every facility and inducement to
emigrate to the United States and engage
in the skilled labor in which it has no
peer. This is the giant East Indian
honey bee, and investigation of its work
and immense capacity for making honey
and wax has induced the Department of
Agriculture to make an effort TO introduce
| it into the United States.
TO scientists this bee is known as apas
| dorsata. a species common throughout
| the tropical regions of the East. In the
| Philippine islands the very largest va
riety of this species is found. 1t is nearly
one-half larger than our native honey bee.
and builds a comb, heavy with wax
| and honey. five SIX time as large as
| the ones that are found i'm American or
| chards and forests. In addition to the
| enormous manufacturing capacity of this
/ particular bee it's introduction will have
the important effect of securing from
some of the richest honey-bearing plants
| of the United States the sweet juices which
now remain ungathered.
The propagation and increase of these
plants will also be UNNECESSARILY assisted
by other services the big bees will render.
| These results will be brought about for
the very extraordinary reason that the
! giant of the East has Il tongue nearly
| twice as long native bees. All
these little workers get at the honey in
| flowers with their tongues, but many bios
SONS have such deep wells in which their
| sugary treasure is stored that our native
| bees cannot reach II.
The principal honey bearing flower which
| our native bees find too hard problem for
their limited honey pumps is the red clover,
a fri trf Tod al Hrrn Arranr q
! long tongues of the big Philippine bees
| would find these clover blossoms a very
! mine of sweetness, and a great amount of
| honey would be yielded up TO the long
| tongued bee that now is practically loss
| to the world. In return for the honey these
| bees would find in the red clover. their in
| PRODUCTION TO that plane would prove an in
| estimabc assistance to its reproduction.
| Most plants are fortified and Reproduce
through tire .ristfibution of the fertilizing
i pollen of one plant upon the blossoms of
another Bees play most important part
| in this operation, carrying, as they DO, the
pollen OF flower from which they have
| sucked the honey to another, where they
seek new sweets the fertilizlrg powder
clinging to the limbs and bodies or the little
| insect.
Secretary Wilson said last week in con-
nection with the proposed importation of
| special appropriation would be asked in his
| coming report to Congress for the investi-
| swarm of the big Philippine honey makers
! would be brought to America as soon as the
Of e Ui 6 6ad b bne s %
termined. An appropriation will be re-
! quested also for the study of the agricul-
'tural and kindred products of the newly
4 acquired territories of the United States
The question of acclimatizing these in
habitants Of the Philippines in the colder
| The giant bees are found in the mountain
regions all through India, and have been
seen busily at work at attitudes of 5000 feet,
In the Philippine islands their colonies are
most numerous in the mountains, as the
quest of the natives for their honeycombs
has driven them from the unprotected fiat
lands of the coast to the less thickly in
| habited and more heavily wooded mountain
regions. The Filipinos find their daily bread
| a rather easy proposition, but they are very
fond of honey on the staff of life, and wax
is next to gold in its popularity.
staple commerce. due to the l'' manner ieie IN
which the cloth worn by the natives is dyed.
This cloth when fresh woven is covered
with a thin layer Of wax, leaving unexposed
the pattern which it is desired to dye. The
cloth is then soaked in the dye, and the
wax which covers and protects the fiber
the waxed parts from taking up the color.
The wax is then washed off in hot water,
the cloth dried, and another pattern of a
different color is laid off the undyed
parts with fresh wax. This manner of dye
ing is so general in the East that there is a
tremendous demand for wax at all times,
and the warehouses of India. Ceylon, Bor-
neo and the Philippines are filled with huge
cheese-like cakes of the bee product The
Europe for making candles.
The big bees build their hives on tall for
inaccessible cliffs. When undisturbed,
| branch swarmS build near the parent col
ony; so that in few years an immense bee
settlement often grows up in the forests.
To discover one of these Is almost certain
fortune to a Filipino, as 1t means tons of
wax and honey, for which he can readily
secure a good price. These bees build a
| comb five or six feet long, four feet wide,
and from seven-eighths to one and one-half
inches in thickness. The largest combs of
our American bees are not more than one
fifth this size, and the wax and honey
manufactured is proportionately great.
In appearance the giant bee is smoky,
glittering, iridescent black. of wasp-like fig
ure. with orange bands encircling his body.
There have been reports that TINS pee is
most ferocious. and on account of his great
size is extremely dangerous. but Professor
Frank Benton of the Department. of Agri-
culture one of the bee experts of the world,
has seen and handled them in jungle
haunts and he tells different story. They
are such busy and persevering workers. ac-
oording to Professor Benton's account, that
they have lost dexterity with their singing
of wrath and with evil intent upon human
hand or neck. they do not handle their Of
fensive weapons with skill, as it takes them
twenty or thirty seconds to get their sting
IN working order. They are quiet as COM
pared to our bees.
The manufacture of wax by the bees is
an interesting commercial problem. Bees
secrete wax by eating honey and as il
takes about fifteen pounds of honey
OF wax. which will seldom bring more than
3 cents a pound the bee raisers do not en-
courage the manufacture of wax by their
swarms. they even discourage this by pur-
chasing what are called comb foundations.
These are made by machines of wax and
the bees use them to begin the making of
combs, and thus many pounds of honey
| which the bees would secrete to make the
wax of the hive is saved
Petitions have been coming i'm IN tho
| Department Of Agriculture for years ask
ing that the government introduce these
| giant bees to the United States Manv
years ago the apiarists Of this country
were called upon to do this on their own
account. and the prospect of having such
workers seemed so promising that several
| individuals tried to get the bees for them
selves by sending to the United States CON
suls in the East and asking that queen bees
of the desired race be obtained and for
warded 10 them
No attempt to bring them here has eyer
been successful though Professor BENTON
was prevented. by sickness from bringing
TO the United States swarms Of these honey
makers which he captured i'm the iuugles
While Professor Benton was sick in he'd or
route TO the United States with these hecr
no one else on the vessel could at1end -