The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1899-05-11
GIANT PHILIPPINE BEES.
Honeymakers Which 1t Is Proposed to In
troduce Into the United States.

There is one race inhabiting the
Philippines which will be welcome
addition to American citizenship and
will receive every facility and induce
ment 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, whose
whose immense capacity for making
honey and wax has interested the De-
partment of Agriculture in the consid-
Grafton of an early effort to introduce
it into the United States. To science
this bee is known as Apis dorsata. 1t
Is common throughout the tropical re-
gions of the East, and in the Philip
pine Islands the very largest variety
of the species is found. 1t is nearly
one-half larger than the American ma
tive honey bee, and builds comb
heavy with wax and honey five or six
times as large as those found in
American orchards and forests.
The question of acclimatizing these
inhabitants of the Philippines in the
colder ATTITUDES of America is not dis
couraging. The giant bees are found
in the mountain regions all through
India, and have been busily at work
at attitudes of 5000 feet. In the Phil
ppine Islands their colonies are most
numerous iI the mountains, as the
unceasing quest OF the natives for
their honeycomb has driven them
from the unprotected fatlands of the
coast to the less thickly inhabited and
| more heavily wooded mountain re-
| gions. The Filipinos find their daily
bread rather easy proposition, but
| they are very fond of honey on the
staff of life. There Is also q large de-
mand for wax for use in dyeing.
The big bees build their hives on
tall forest trees OF ON the overhanging
lodges of cliffs. When undisturbed
branch swarms build near the parent
colony,so that in few years an i'm
mense bee settlement often grows up
in the forest. The bees build comb
five or six feet long, four feet wide
and from seven-eights to one and one.
half inches in thickness. The largest
combs of American honey bees are
not of more than one-tifth these di-
mensions. In appearance the giant
bee is smoky, glittering, iridescent
black wasp-like figure, with orange
oands encircling it's body. There have
oeen reports that this bee is most fer.
ocious and on account of its great size
extremely dangerous, but Prof. Frank
Benton, of the Department of Agricul-
ture, has seen and handled them in
their jungle haunts, and he tells diff
ferent story. They are such busy and
perseyering workers, according to
trof. Bentons account, that they have
ost deXterity with their singing ap'
)aratus, and though they may alight
full of wrath and with evil intent, up
On human hand or neck, they do not
aandle their offensive weapon with
skill, and it takes them twenty OF
thirty seconds to get their sting In
working order. They are quiet as
compared with American bees.
Petitions have been coming into the
Department of Agriculture for years
asking that the Government introduce
these giant bees into the United
States. No attempt at bringing them
lere has ever been successful. Prof
Benton tried to bring to the United
States a swarm of these honeymakers
which he captured in the jungle. While
Ie was sick in bed, on his way home
40 one else on the vessel would attend
20 them, and they all died.