The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-06
STUDY THE
CARPENTER
Teachers Take Up
Investigation
Fully.

The presence Of numerous corks Plug
ged into what look like bullet holes in
gate posts and other wooden uprights. Is
merely an indication that the Nature
Study Society, composed Of teachers OF
the public schools OF Honolulu. is pur-
suing its investiga tons into the habits
Of what is generally known as the car
penter bee This queer member Of the
insect family has a long record OF de-
struction behind him. and many an i'm
posing building in this city has been rem
oered unsafe by his habits of tunnelling
into choice newell posts, ratings and
supports. The Nature Study Society pro
poses not only TO learn his history and
habits, but to determine what VIII d.
u1inish his race. a. few of the members
have begun by filling the holes with
drops Of ammonia, and corking them up
The results have been gratifying, as
none but dead Carpenters were after
wards found.
The Nature Study Society met last eve
ming at the High School where an in
terestfng discussion upon the carpenter
bee and some OF his cousins was had
for an hour and a half by more than
score of teachers of scientific turn OF
mind. The discussion was held in the
main study room down stairs, and was
rendered doubly interesting by the dis
play Of several colored drawings show
ing the black and the brown bees, and
the scientific manner of their tunnelling-
Numerous specimens Of his destructive
work In the shape of sections of redwood
posts We're exhibited together with va
ri0us portions of the bees anatomy
which We're stuck upon white cards.
These exhibits showed where the carpen-
ter bee carried his chest Of tools with
-7.1, he
very marvellous construction Of his
mouth
The discussion on bees was preceded
by a statement Of the manner in winch
scientific clubs We're conducted at Cor
nell University, by =. Z. Van Dine, Of
the faculty of the Normal School He
stated that there We're two organizations.
one fer chronological and the other for
the horticultural researches, and both
were carried on Informally. The object
was to have as many Of the
members possible take part
This struck the audience wei, and
a committee of three viii be appointed
before the next meeting by the chair
man TO report on some method Of con-
Quoting the meetings in future along
these tines.
Miss King then read a very interesting
paper on the carpenter bee, developed
from her own Investigations during the
drawings. bottled specimens, alive and
dead, sections Of wood showing the mar
veIlously constructed tunnels. and par
titioEls Aormed of sawdust packed in
spiral Flyers and Jumps OF provisions
placed -<Sr feeding the newly born. The
bees are found in large numbers
| in these Islands, and attention was
generally drawn TO them when they were
seen frrThe vicinity of the small round
holes IN posts. In order to learn fully
/ Of the carpenter bees life. Miss King
| had procured a coIored bottle and a
net. located a telephone pole perforated
with holes made by bees, placed the
mouth Of the bottle over one of them,
land then thumped the tree with a stick.
Tout came a big bee, then smaller ones,
all emerging backward, and lastly came
| some bees covered with sawdust, the
real carpenters She obtained a section
LOT redwood post ana investigated the
net work Of tunnels inside ty cutting
Itransversely through 1t. There were
Hong tunnels, separated into chambers
| by saw1lust walls formed - layers.
| These were not empty. as in some were
yellow Jumps and in others worms and
small bugs. This Is the home OF the bee.
! consisting Of the tunnels, the rooms be
l.nc the cells. The latter are generally
about three-C quarters Of an inch IN depth.
/ The partitions are curiously wrought,
made of fine sawdust, which the carpen-
ter bee has thrown aside as he works.
Land then packed hard. Not only does
ne build q home IN dead wood, such as
posts but in the dead branches Of bread
1 fruit and algaroba trees.
| The Jumps Of food are composed Of tai
/ low and hector obtained from flowers.
The Oldest bees she had found were At
! the end Of the tunnel, and the newest
born near the entrance. After the latter
are big enough TO escape there are bees
which proceed to scrape out the debris
and make the tunnels clean. The black
bee is the worker His mouth is his tool
chest, and 1t is complete. His hind leSs
are covered with q thick brush OF hair,
with which the bee obtains the pollen
| from flowers. This is IN marked con-
trast 10 the honey bees. The carpenters
visit the hibiscus. banana and palms.
These odd bees live in families, each
family having a separate tunnel and set
| Of cells; there is no general community
| life Will the honey bees there is no
family life. but that of the community,
| presided over by the queen bee. There
are more brown than black bees. They
all forage for honey IN the day time and
sleep in the cells at night
Mr.. Van Dine rad some interesting
data and specimens of the carpenter bee.
but said the subject was a compare lively
new one TO him He told how they in
jured flowers At the nectar. Instead OF
putting their proboscis down the center
IL Al the side. even doing the same with
the small lantana flowers.
Prof L. Thompson spoke entertaining
y on the manner in which the bees were
brought into existence. and had several
specimens showing the gradual develop