The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-09-07
QUEER BEE swARMs.

Perhaps the strangest settling place
ever chosen by swarming bees was
mans beard. Among several inter-
esting photographs of bee swarms
shown in the Strand one of bald
headed man with a beard of bees
reaching to the middle of his breast
is the most extraordinary.
The next in interest, at least
to the bee man himself, shows
that individuals hands covered with
what looks like great thick rough
mittens. As these gloves were COM
posed of hundreds of live bees, they
could at least be counted upon as
warm.
Often when in dealing with the hive
the beekeeper takes the queen into
his hands the other bees, attracted by
the queen odor, settle on the mans
hands or arms, unless they find the
queen herself.
This popularity was responsible
for the predicament in which cleri-
cal beekeeper found himself. His
swarm had settled on an apple tree,
but from the behavior of the bees it
was clear the queen was not with
them. After looking for her she was
found some little distance away with
few other bees around her.
On raising her from the ground the
bees that had been with her clustered
on the beekeeper and we're quickly
Joined by the swarm, which was now
breaking up. The swarm consisted
of between 20, 900 and $4,000 bees.
They not only covered the outside
of bis coat, but crawled up under its
long skirts, which they amply lined
with their bodies. They also COM
pletely covered one trouser leg from
the knee to the waist, so that the
worthy clergyman presented a most
extraordinary appearance. T b e
swarm, it may be added, was success
fully lived.
When bees are about to swarm they
fill their honey bags with a large
quantity of honey and then take
their fight. Whittier are they bound !?
None of them can tell exactly. They
swarm up into the sky, forming great
cloud, and then settle down to rest
wherever their fancy takes them, for
the swarms rarely decide to make a
home at the spot where they first
alight. This is but halt in their
journey, and in the meantime they
send out emissaries in search of a new
domicile, which is usually selected in
some cavity, such as hollow tree
trunk, hole in wall, or chimney.
The swarms which settle thus often
assume the most unexpected and gro
tesque shapes. The shape of swarm
forming pendant to branch of
tree is we'll known, but more eccen,
trio alightings are not uncommon.
There is an old custom, still fol-
lowed by some people, of making a
fearful noise by striking against old
pots and pans or by firing off gunsin
order to induce the swarms to settle
and thereby prevent them from going
far afield. But it was proved long
ago that this noise did not trouble
the bees in the least or make them
settle where they did not want to go.
It has also been alleged that all this
noise carried with it sort of pro-
porietorship in the swarm. This ex-
planation may have some truth in it.
AS regards the swarms, the only
thing that can force them to settle is
a jet of water from syringe or pump
or spray of sand or fine dust. Some
say that the bees can be brought to
alight or can even be hived by means
of mirrors collecting the rays OF the
sun, which are then concentrated on
the bees, imparting to them contin-
uous motion. This may be efica-
cious, but no matter how much noise
| is made the bees are not troubled by it.
"YEs sHE's married, but she isn't
happy"
"Why, I understand her husband
had money to burn"
$50 he had and still has. He
hasn't given her the slightest incen-
diary opportunity"
WHEN YOU have them they are
opinions when other people have
1 49,. kI.o~v o~a da141ciOnc