Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-03-07
FOLLOWING A BEE LINE.
Seeking Wild Honey In tho ereat
Smoky Mountains.

seeking Wild 7ohey IN the Great
Smoky Mountains.
Old John Hannah, now in his sew
enty-f1fth year, Is still the best bee
hunter on Little Cataloochee, Haywood
county, where he has lived sixty-four
years. He is the father Of twelve chill
dren, only one Of whom Is dead; his
hair and long beard are white as snow,
but his tall, muscular figure is as
erect as that of an Indian chieftain.
He is really kindly looking man. with
a keen black eye, which Is still un-
dimmed.
John Hannah takes no boxes and
platform with him when he starts on
a bee hunt, says writer in the Raj
eigh Post. His equipment consists
solely of tin cup or tin plate with a
little bee bread and honey In It. That
Is all except his keen eyes. John
Hannah starts out for the meadows
and the fields about wild Mount Sterl-
ing, and it is a rare thing for him to
return before he has located a bee
tree. He knows his business.
In the spring the bees feed on the
bloom Of the lin and the sourwood,
and the honey produced from these
blooms Is the whitest In comb
and the most delicate favored Of all
that is made by these dusty fellows
with legs Of powdered gold. 1t Is not
an easy matter to line" bees from
these trees, but John Hannah does 1t
with unfailing skill. But at this time
Of the year, early spring, John and
the other bee hunters are almost too
busy putting in their crops to be able
to spare the time for this sport.
1t is after the crops have been laid
by and the glorious summer weather
Is everywhere that these mountain
people find time to follow the swift
winged insects, and the enthusiasm
and ardor they all feel and exhibit Is
really wonderful to observe. They
are as eager hearted. about 1t as a
deer hunter is when hunting deer.
Just to the left of Mount Sterling
gap is a strawberry field, in which
wild flowers bloom in profusion in Au-
gust. From 1t one may look west and
northwest, that Is toward Big Creek
and Pigeon river, and behold nothing
but the primeval Wilderness as far as
the eye can reach. There is literally
not a field or clearing In sight. The
entire country looks just as 1t looked
when the Cherokees were the sole
denizens of this section Of the state.
It was here that watched John Han
nah hunt bees. He did not clap a
box down on a clover bloom or any
other wild flower. He simply set his
tin plate down among the flowers and
looked on. He did not have long to
wait, for presently a bee lit on the
edge Of the plate and began to fill it
self with the sweets spread before 1t.
Long before It had obtained its
load, 1t was Joined Dy another, and by
yet another and another, till seven or
eight bees were slipping the honey on
the platter. In a few moments one Of
the bees flew of. John was all atten-
ton in an instant. This bee did not
rise and circle around till 1t had got
its bearings; 1t simply few slanting
away in a fixed direction, and kept
that direction till 1t was out Of sight.
Then another followed, and then an
other. Then q new bee lit on the
plate and began to sip and soon after
another bee few of, taking the same
course as the first bee. Then at short
intervals new bees came in and other
bees flew away.
All went in the same direction. This
seemed to satisfy John, for he took up
the tin plate, and motioned me to fol-
low, passed down the sloping noun
tain side 30 yards or more, and set
his plate down again, still bearing on
1t several bees which had alighted
there when 1t was at its first position,
and which were too absorbed In gath
ering its sweets to notice that they
were being borne away. In a short
time other bees lit on the plate, and
soon another bee flew of. John
watched its flight with eager eyes
This was repeated by several other
bees and by John till five or six bees
had taken flight. Then John turned to
me and said: "See that dead tree top
off yander just this side Of the bal
sam?
I told him saw II plainly.
That's the bee tree" he returned,
and taking up the plate we started
together for the tree indicated. 1t was
not more than a quarter Of mile from
where we were and we soon stood at
it's base. Looking up. I saw several
small black insects circling around and
about the trunk two-thirds Of the
way up; then I heard a faint hum
ming sound.
Lets cut it down." cried enthusi-
astically.
What you going to cut 1t with?"
asked John.
But IL We leave 1t here we shall
never find 1t again." I protested.
"Oh. yes" returned John. Il could
find that tree in the dark"
And sure enough, two weeks later
John and I returned with axes, buck
cts and some old rags, cut the. tree
down, smoked the bees out and took
about fifty pounds Of honey home
with us.
How was 1t done? 1t is as simple
as a b when you know how. 1t Is
simply a primitive method Of range
finding. John had noted every tree
directly in the course followed by the
first set of bees. Then he had mark
ed the trees in the course followed
by the second set Of bees, and where
those two courses intersected, there
was the bee tree.
What do you do when bees fly In
different directions?" 1 asked John.
"I note the direction each bee takes
and follow the course taken by the
greatest number, as the chances are
that there are more bees from the
nearest tree than from those further
off. follow up the first, and then
come back and study out the other
course the same way"
- L,