The times., 1899-10-08
BEES TAKE TO THE TELEPHONE
A Swarm Discovered in a box en- a
Brooklyn Pole.
FROM the New York sun.

ttrona tue New ork sun
Brooklyn has a swarm OF honey bees
with extremely modern ideas. Patent hives,
| top sections, and other devices contrived
by ingenious humanity for bees were not
| enough to satisfy them, They must have
a telephone
Telephone boxes are fastened to the poles
supporting the wires at intervals and are
| used by the linemen to communicate with
the central Office. The box selected by the
bees is on Vanderbilt Avenue, just south
or Park Place. Late on Saturday after
noon lineman had occasion to make some
| repairs at this point and while working
on the top of the pole he noticed bees
entering and coming out of the box He
descended rather hastily and communicated
the fact to his two assistants
An. bees, nothing" said one of the
men,.
who ever heard OF bees in a telephone
box?"
We'll, I'll bet 81 to a hairpin there's a
swarm in that box came the reply
Open up the box and see." said the
third man.
Not on your life," replied the iineman.
My father used TO keep bees out in the
country and know something about them.
1t don't pay to pry into their secrets, ]
can tell you. I'd open it though, if had
the net the old man used TO make use OF
when they swarmed."
By this time crowd had gathered. It
was made up of an indefinite number OF
small boys, dozen ordinary citizens. and
an inspector of the Brooklyn Rapid T. a1sit
Company. Strange to say, there was not a
man in it whose father had not kept bees
in the country, and consequently they all
spoke as one having authority.
"I'll bet that box is full of honey" said
the lineman.
go up and take it out; won't you Mis-
ter?" chimed in chorus of boys.
You'd have to kill them 10 get the
| honey" said one of the assistants to a
citizen.
why not drum them out?" asked the
inspector.
Who ever heard of drumming bees al
this time OF year," contemptuousIy asked
a citizen with a straw hat and an ulster
MY father used to do it right a,ong,' .
replied the Inspector. "All you have TO do
is keep the king bee''
Keep the king bee," laughed the man
of the straw hat and ulster. We'll, that 8
good. 1t was the queen bee we used to
keep"
AT this point an unusual thing happened
Ninth Avenue car came along and duty
called the inspector away.
The curiosity of the crowd was now SO
worked up that the lneman saw he would
have to open the box, bees or no bees. He
procured a lace curtain from a nearby. fiat,
and, covering his head and face with it,
climbed up the pole once more The mo-
ment he opened the door cloud of bees
swarmed out and attacked the curtain.
Several succeeded in penetrating the guard
and made it so interesting for the Hneman
that he hastily closed the door and came
down from his perch. The small boys en-
couraged him to make another attempt
and the citizens offered much gratu.tious
advice as to how he should have acted.
mo good" replied the lineman, ''the
comb is not all filed up yet. Let them fill
! it first"
He returned the curtain, and, calling to
| his assistants, drove off. The bees are still
! in the box doing business in the most mod
ern style. When the empty comb is filled
they will no doubt call up the central Of
| fee.