The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-23
BIGGEST BEEHIVE IN TIL
WORLD.
THE

In Natural Cavern in a Cliff-The
Buzz Of the Insects Heard an Eighth
of Mile Away.
Did you ever see a bee tree with
swarm of bees around it? Well, magni-
fly this about ten thousand times and
you will have a slight idea of a nat
ural beehive in Mendocino county, Cal.
1t is rift in the face of a cliff, and
tradition has it that there is a large
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 common place, when
in reality it is the only beehive of the
kind in existence.
There is no danger of a person get
ting very near to this natural beehive
without knowing it, for all hours of
the day swarm of insects hovers
about several hundred feet in all direc-
lions. An incessant, maddening buzz
fills the air that can be heard an eighth
of mile, and serves as warning not
to venture too near But men do ven
ture near after having first put on a
suit of leather clothing, fastened a
mask of wire screen around their hat
bands, and lighted good big torch.
These precautions are absolutely neces-
sary.
1t takes nerve to approach close to
the opening in the rock, and the ex-
perience is ver-to-be-forgotten one.
Bees to the number of millions of mill
ions will light on the intruder, hum
ming fiendishly, and endeavor to sting
him to death. They form a perfect
cloud and the air is filled with a fetid
smell and fine dust that gets through
the wire screen and causes an irritation
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 1T. 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 few minutes.
1t is almost impossible to make out
just where the entrance to this natural
beehive Is. There is sort of cavern
in the cliff that seems to have crack
through the inner wall from top to bot
tom, but most of the bees hover AROUND
q hole about eighteen inches wide, and
appear to make that the point of in
gress and egress. Many days 1t Is i'm
possible even to see the cliff, so thickly
covered is it with insects and they
roll in and out of the opening like
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 to death while attempting to fly
through the swarms of insects. Four
footed creatures never venture within
half mile, seeming to know that death
turks there. In front of the mouth of
the hive there is pile of dried honey
that has flowed from the interior. 1t
looks like heap of molten lava that
has been hardened after being dis
charged from volcano.
A party of men living in this 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 oil and ben
zine around and into the opening. Then
they made a big fire of wood, so that
the whole cavern was filled with flames.
Then they poked redhot 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 wax 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 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 it was foul smelling and
| Sitting. Although countless millions
! Of bees must have been destroyed on