The times., 1900-12-30
EILDHONEY BEE HUNTING
A Sport Not Without Its Modicum
of Danger.
Frequently the Industrious Little
Insect Becomes vicious aud Makes
War without Any Hesitation.
Methods Employed by Experts-i
Knowledge of Woodcraft Needed.


Methods Employed by Expcrts-i
Knowledge of woodcraft Needed.
,, To be a successful bee hunter requires
great deal of patience. endurance and
knowledge not only of the habits of the
bee. but of woodcraft. Patience is one of
the most essential qualifications, for often
times it is many hours before a line of
bees is located. Then. too. there is an ele-
ment of danger in the sport for the bee
when its home is attacked. will fight des-
perately. and on such occasions the hunter
must exercise calmness, otherwise the
thousands of these busy workers, when
| disturbed, might make life anything but
pleasant for the hunter.
Hunters of the bee differ somewhat in
the method of locating hive Some start
right in by batting while others begin
operations by catching few bees while in
the act of gathering nectar from blossom
and then by sending them out to lead on
their fellows to the place where the bait
has been placed. had the pleasure of en-
joying cay last week with Charles Bra
ley ard Alden B. Lucas. two of the crack
bee hunters in this section.
1 was met one forenoon at Braley's Sta
tion, where they live, and taken by Mr.
Braley to his home, when the party, four
in number, started out. We took several
small tin boxes with US, a smoker fitted
with bellows and a small stake fitted
with a tripod end In each one of the
boxes, Mr.. Braley explained, was nice.
sweet honeycomb. for, as he said, 'fHoney
which is fresh makes the best bait AS
we passed along the small tin boxes were
used by both gentlemen in swapping bees
on from the blossoms. After half dozen
had thus been caught We set up the stake.
and when the confined bees commenced
humming which is an Indication that its
honey sack is filled. they were set loose
one at a time. Leaving the box the bee
bent on its return home makes several
circles in the air just above the box, and
then sails away in the direction where IL
is supposed the golden honey is stored
After each bee had been liberated in the
manner described somewhat larger box
was placed on the stake, and this box
served as the bait for others which re-
turned with their fellows who had made
ten-strike in gathering nectar. This tox
was also literally supplied with honey
comb, and in a very short tine the ex-
posed honey was covered with bees bent
td.
While engaged in gathering either nectar
or pollen, the food for the young. so / was
told, the bee will not sting; and l guess
Mr.. Braley is right, for ! handled several
while thus aged and they paid no more
to me than IL ! was a part of
the stake. '.It Ia only when you pinch
them or molest. their homes that they
show fight" casually remarked Mr.. Bra
ley.
While this explanation was going on
1uite a number of bees had somehow
found their way to the bait, pillng over
each other in their eagerness to get at |
he sweets contained in the box Then |
vas shown how is determined that the |
same bees return to- their baited box. |
This is done by marking three or four !
With paste made of -four. The first |
marked bee left the halt and returned for
more within Ave minutes, and then we fol-
owed up the same course which the line
lad taken, when we found, as Messrs.
3raley and Lucas predicted. that the bees
which had been captured were from Mr..
3raley's own hive. which was ALI of 1,500
eet from the spot where the bait stake
lad been set up.
Returning to the stake we found thou
ands of busy workers lowering about the
,ait, anxious to gather their share. The
Iagacity displayed by the bee in thus re-
urning TO the spot where product for
loney has been found is surprising, and
vhen hunting away from home. under
conditions which make II more difficult
o determine a location. the bait is re-
moved up the line until the
ime Of a marked bee shows the distance
o be not far from the hive, when the
inc is followed up as l have described
)ftentimes IL takes. hours TO locate
live, and not infrequently two swarms
u bees are at work on the bait at the
anne time, and the hunter resorts to
What /e terms cross lining" them by
citing UP the bait on the opposite side Of
wood In which it is thought the hive is
ocated. II they fly back then the hunt
r does not hesitate to tra9e Them, and
e is generally successful when thus /
'othered by two swRrms at the same
ime.
The location having been found then be- |
ins what most OF US would say is any
hing but fdn-the removal OF the honey, |
Dr. it should be kept in mind that Messrs |
raley e. Lucas hunt the bee for its honey !
My, although when a good swarm OF hon
y bees is found hiyed on the branch of
zee they are occasionally caught and ta-
en- TO one OF their box hives for the pur-
o5e CT furnishing additional product.
When line is located and Appearances
arrant the honey is gathered In a day
two after the discovery. But IL not
ne tree or location is marked B. L..
I'D later on takes ace the invasion which
the most trying part of the hunt, for
len il is that the fight begins 1t is on
lch occasions as this that the smoker
'mes in play. for when a tree is felled
get at the hive the insects fight like /.
ad The smoke from the blower. filled
18th rotten wood causes them to fll their
oney sacks at once, and once hlled. as
hen gathering nectar from a blossom
ley lose their fight. But many fail TO 'fll i
p as Mr.. Braley terms it, and dive at
le invaders like maddened bulls.
Messrs. Braley & Lucas have had an ex-
srience In this sort of sport which covers E
period Of thirty years, Mr.. Braley being :
lie longest In the business. They have =
und bees in the trunks of trees, on the ;
Inbs OF tree, in holes In the ground a
I'd, in fact, almost everywhere that the
Ieen bee Of swarm has seen fit 10 :
light: for she Is the one which locates !;
lie home Mr.. Braley is as good as
,ok on bees. and what he knows concern =
g them has been gained by his own per =
NAL observation. The bees which are
lnted by him and his partner are both = =
e wild bee and the domestic bee, which
is swarmed from the farm of some bee ;,
,eper. Mr. Braley is such an expert at :
e business that he is frequently employ !,
to capture a swarm which has left its | =
'me on farm and when the late DR.. Z.
Able, who was very much interested in =
bod \.