California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences, Volume 47, Number 16, 17 January 1878 — NEW RACES OF BEES. [ARTICLE]

NEW RACES OF BEES.

Some years ago an article appeared either in the A merican Bee, Journal or in one of our agricultural papers, giving an account of a bee on the Amoor liver, that was thought would prove of value in this country. Has anything further been heard of it?

Correspondence has been opened by several American bee-keepers, to obtain information about Apis dorsata, of Java, and I hope soon to have something to communicate respecting it. I received a letter to-day from a gentleman who is skillful in handling bees. He thinks of going to Europe in the spring, to import the Cyprian bee for himself, and to fill several orders from friends; and I know of several who have ordered them from German breeders. So there is a fair prospect of having them tested here the coming season.

Honey is now put upon the market in such attractive form by our best apiarists, and such skill has been attained by a large number in the practical work of the apiary, and that number more rapidly increasing every year through the knowledge spread by our journals, that we must look iv new directions for advance in our pursuit. Science must come to our aid and suggest new methods of culture. New races must be tried. Much remains to be done before we can feel assured that we have reached the best results.

I would here return my thanks to Mr. Benton' for the interest he has shown by translating Mr. Edward Corls article on Apis dorsata for the American Bee Journal.

Shortly after the publication by the Harper* of Afred Uussel Wallace's Malay Archipelago, 18b'9, I sent some extracts to the Journal on Apis rforsata. As an interest is springing up in this bee, both here and in Europe, I think it desirable to publish them again, that a greater number of readers may enjoy the promising facts given, which I consider even more encouraging than the statements given by Mr. Cori.

THE APIS DOESATA.

Wallace found this bee on the Island of T X rat >r, and mentions bees or their products in Borneo Celebes, Gilolo, and the Aru Islands. Possibly Apis dorsata exists on many of the Islands, as well as Java and Timor. Mr. Woodbury, of England, received specimens of this bee and comb from Ceylon, but failed to import it.

In visiting a house in Borneo, Mr. tV. writes i " Almost all tho people, however, were away on some excursion after bird-nest* or bees-wax." The honey bee of Borneo vn; rally hangs it* combs under the branches of the tappan, a tree which towers above all others in ths forest, and whose smooth cylindrical trunk often rises 100 ft. without a branch. The Dyaks climb these lofty trees at night, buildiag up their bamboo ladder as they go, and bringing down gigantic honey-combs. These furnish them with a delicious feast of honey and young bees, besides the wax which they sell to traders, and with the proceeds buy the muchcoveted brass wire, ear rings and gold-edged handkerchiefs, with which they love to decorate themselves. In ascending durion and other fruit trees which branch at from 30 to 50 ft. from the ground, I have seen them use the bamboo pegs only, without theupright bamboo, which renders them so much more secure.''

Mr. W. describes very minutely how the pegs are driven in the tree, and the bamboo ladder formed as they ascend these gigantic trees. One of the illustrations, (page 204), copied from a photograph, represents a Timorese with a small water bucket in one hand, made of an entire unopened palm leaf, and in the other a covered bamboo, •' which possibly contains honey for aaic".... Besides ponies, almost tbe only exports of Timor are sandal wood and bees-wux.—The sandal wood is chiefly exported to China, where it is largely used to burn in the temples and in the houses of the wealthy. The bees wax is still more important and valuable product, formed by the wild bees, (Apia dorsata), which build huge honcy-enmbs, suspended in the open air from the under side of the lofty branches of the highest trees These are of a semi-circular form, and often .'1 or 4 ft. in diameter.

1 once saw the natives take a bees' nest, and a very interesting sight it was. In the valley, where I used to collect insects, I one day saw three or four Timorese men and boys under a high tree, and, looking up, saw on a very lofty horizontal branch three large bees' combs. The tree was straight and smooth barked, and without a branch, till at 70 or 80 ft. from tho ground it gave out the limb which the bees had chosen for their home. As the men were evidently looking after the bees, I waited to watch their operations. One of them first produced a long piece of wood, apparently the stem of a small tree or creei>er, which he had brought with him, and began splitting it through in several directions, which showed that it was very tough and stringy. He then wrapped it in palm leaves, which were secured by twisting a slender creeper, around them. He then fastened his cloth tightly around his loins, and producing another cloth, wrapped it around his head, neck, and body, and tied it firmly around his neck, leaving his face, arms and legs comparatively bare. .Slung to this girdle ho carried a long thin coil of cord; and while he had been making these preparations one of his companions had cut a strong creeper, or bush-rope Bor 10 yards long, to one end of which the wood torch was fastened, and lighted at the bottom, emitting a steady stream of smoke. Jnst above the torch a chopping-knife was fastened by a short cord.

The bee-hunter now took hold of the bush-rope just above the torch ami passed the other end around the trunk of the tree, holding one end in each hand. Jerking it up tbe tree a little above his head, he set his foot against the trunk, and, leaning back began walking up to it. It «as wonderful to see the skill with which he took advantage of the slightest irregularities of the bark or obliquity of the stem to aid his ascent, jerking the stiff creeper a few feet higher when he had found a firm hold for his bare foot. -It almost made me giddy to look at him as he rapidly got up,—3o, 40, SO ft. above the grouud; and I kspt wondering how ha could possibly mount the next

few feet of straight, smooth trunk. Still, however, he kept on with as much coolness and apparent certainty as if ho wore going np a ladder, un til he got within 10 or 15 ft. of the bees ; then he stopped a moment and took care to swing the torch (which hung just at his feet) a little towards these dangerous insects, so as to send up tho stream of smoke between him and them. Still going on, in a minute more he brought himself under the limb, and in a manner quite unintelligible to me, seeing that both hands were occupied in supporting himself by the creeper, managed to get upon it.

By this time, the bees began to be alarmed, and formed a dense, buizing swarm just over him, but he brought the torch up closer to the hive, and cooly brushed away those that settled on his arms and legs. Then stretching himself along the limb f he crept towards the nearest comb and swung the torch just under it. The moment the smoke touched it, its color changed in a most curious manner from black to white, the myriads of bees that had covered it flying off and forming a dense cloud above and around. The man then lay at full length along the limb, and brushed off the remaining bees with his hand; and then drawing his knife, cut off the comb at one slice close to tho tree, and attaching the thin cord to it, let it down to his companions below. He was all this time enveloped in a crowd of angry bees, and how he bore their stings so cooly, and went on with his work at that giddy height so deliberately, was more than I could understand. The bees were evidently not stupified by the smoke or driven away far by it, and it was impossible that the small stream from the torch could protect his whole bedy when at work. There were 3 other combs on the same tree, and all were successfully taken, and furnished the whole party with a luscious feast of honey and young bees, and a valuable lot of wax.

After 2 of the combs had been let down, the bees became rather numerous below, flying about widly and stinging viciously. Several of them got about me, and I was soon stung, and had to run away, beating them off with my net and capturing them for specimens. Several of them followed me for at least half a mile, getting into my hair and persecuting me most pertinaciously, so that I was more astonished than ever at the impunity of the natives. lam inclined to think that slow and deliberate motion, and no attempt at escape, are perhaps the best safeguards. A bee settling on a passive native probably behaves as it would on a tree or other inanimate substance, which it does not attempt to sting.—Still they must often suffer, hut they are used to the pain and learn to hear it impassibly, as without doing so no man could be a bee hunter."

I consider this a very remarkable description. Very few men not practical apiarists would have observed as much and stated it as clearly. I regret that the arrangement of these " 3 combs" is not given. It is to be hoped they were parallel and not a unicomb arrangement, lengthwise with the limb.

Two birds, bee eaters, are named Meropogonforsteni, and Merops-ornatua.

I hope soon to be in possesion of facts of still greater, practical interest, which 1 will communicate as soon as received.