Evening journal., 1898-07-26
BiEEHrTVE
WORLD

Glu YOU ever see a pee Tree with Il
swarm of bees around It? Well. mag
Nifty this about ten thousand times and
you will have a slight idea Of a nat
ural beehive in Mendocino county, Cal.
II is a rift in the face OF a cliff. and
tradition has it that there is a large
cave on the inside, where the myrlads
Of busy insects make their homes.
This great natural curiosity is known
to residents Of the adjacent country as
the ''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 get
ing very near to this natural beehive
without knowing 1t, for at all hours OF
the day swarm OF insects hovers
several hundred feet in all directions.
Am incessant, maddenlng buzz fills the
air that can be heard an eighth Of
mile, and serves as a warning not 10 |
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 hatbands, and
lighted good big torch. These pre-
cautions are absolutely necessary.
1t takes nerve to approach close 10
the opening in the rock, and the ex-
perience Is a neyer-to-be-forgotten one.
Bees to the number OF millions OF mil
lions will light on the intruder, hum
ming flendishly, and endeavor to sting
him to death. They form a perfect
cloud, and the air is filled with fetid
smell and a fine dust that gets through
the wire screen and causes an irrita-
tion to the eyes. The tiny insects real
ly show signs Of viciousness, and fly
into the flames of the torch in count
less 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 Fhe tiny foes
for more than 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 eighteen inchee
wide, and appear to make that tho
point Of ingress and egress. Many
days it is impossible even to see the
cliff, so thickly covered is 1t with In
sects, and they roll in and out OF the
opening like a stream OF molssses.
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 the swarms of insects Four
footed creatures never venture within
half a mile, 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 heap OF mol
ten lava that has been hardened after
being discharged from a volcano.
A party of men living in the vicinity
claim to have entered the beehive sew
eral years ago. They selected a cold
day in Winter, when the bees were half
dormant, and poured coal OH and ben
zine around and into the opening.
They then made a big fire OF wood, 50
that the whole cavern was filled with
flames. They then poked redhot en-
bers down into the opening, and so
killed every bee in 1t.
Z But here 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 sweet
ness in pools In the bottom to last a
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. however, did
not linger in the cave any great length
Of time, as IL was foul smelling and
sitting Although countless millions Of
bees must have been destroyed on this
occasion the next Summer they were
, as numerous as ever and just as vi
! cious.
Indians Of the neighborhood say that
in the "good Old day" the bad men
of their tribe were bound hand and
foot and carried to within short dis
{. tance of the beehive by men wrapped
in blankets There the helpless crea-
: lures were left to suffer the agony Of
being stung to death.-San Francisco
Call.