EXOTIC BEES.
Bees are, in all probability, the most universal of all animals; and
notwithstanding their impatience of cold, they seem adapted to live in
all climates. They are accordingly to be met with in every quarter of the
globe, and in every quarter they seem to flourish, if duly attended to.
_In all tropical climates there are little black bees without stings._
Those of Guadaloupe are only half the size of those in Europe, and are
rounder in their form. They build in hollow trees, or in the cavities
of rocks by the sea-side, where they lay up their honey in cells about
the size and shape of a pigeon's egg; these cells are of a black or deep
violet colour, and joined together, so as to leave no space between them;
they hang in clusters almost like a bunch of grapes; each cell somewhat
resembles a small bottle or bladder; when filled with honey the cell is
closed up.
The honey collected by these bees is said not to be so unpalatable nor
so surfeiting as that of Europe. By unpalatable I conceive the writers
merely to mean, that it has less of that peculiar flavour which European
honey possesses. A writer in the 15th volume of the Philosophical
Transactions, states that their honey is always in a fluid state, and as
clear as rock water, forming an agreeable beverage, which taken on an
empty stomach in the quantity of about half a pint, acts medicinally in
about two hours, but not so when taken with the meals.
There is a species of bees in Guiana which gather very delicious honey,
and have no stings. These also construct their combs in a different
manner from the hive-bee of our hemisphere. According to Huber's
translator, _there are bees in India that construct under the boughs of
a tree a single comb of very large dimensions_. The most interesting
account of exotic bees that I have met with, is in Mr. Basil Hall's
highly instructive and entertaining Journal written on the coasts of
Chili, Peru and Mexico, in 1820, -1, and -2, of which I shall here give a
transcript.
"From the Plaza, we went to a house where a bee-hive of the Country
was opened in our presence. The bees, the honey-comb, and the hive,
differ essentially from those in England. The hive is generally made out
of a log of wood from two to three feet long and eight or ten inches
in diameter, hollowed out, and closed at the ends by circular doors,
cemented closely to the wood, but capable of being removed at pleasure.
"Some persons use cylindrical hives, made of earthenware, instead of
the clumsy apparatus of wood; these are relieved by raised figures and
circular rings, so as to form rather handsome ornaments in the verandah
of a house, where they are suspended by cords from the roof, in the same
manner that the wooden ones in the village are hung to the eaves of the
cottage. On one side of the hive, half-way between the ends, there is a
small hole made, just large enough for a loaded bee to enter, and shaded
by a projection to prevent the rain from trickling in. In this hole,
generally representing the mouth of a man, or some monster, the head of
which is moulded in the clay of the hive, a bee is constantly stationed,
whose office is no sinecure[J], for the hole is so small, he has to draw
back every time a bee wishes to enter or to leave the hive. A gentleman
told me that the experiment had been made, by marking the sentinel; when
it was observed that the same bee continued at his post a whole day.
[Footnote J: If the Mexican bees enter the hives with as much rapidity
and in as great numbers as Reaumur states they do in this part of the
world, it would indeed be no sinecure. He observes that the population
of a hive amounts to 18,000, and that a hundred enter in a minute; if as
many go out in the same time, I think the sentinel must rather stand on
one side of the entrance than within it.]
"When it is ascertained by the weight that the hive is full, the end
pieces are removed, and the honey withdrawn. The hive we saw opened was
only partly filled, which enabled us to see the œconomy of the interior
to more advantage. The honey is not contained in the elegant hexagonal
cells of our hives, but in wax bags, not quite so large as an egg. These
bags or bladders are hung round the sides of the hive, and appear about
half full, the quantity being probably just as great as the strength of
the wax will bear without tearing. Those near the bottom being better
supported, are more filled than the upper ones. In the centre of the
lower part of the hive, we observed an irregular-shaped mass of comb
furnished with cells, like those of our bees, all containing young ones,
in such an advanced state that when we broke the comb and let them out,
they flew merrily away. During this examination of the hive, the comb and
the honey were taken out, and the bees disturbed in every way; but they
never stung us, though our faces and hands were covered with them. It is
said, however, that there is a bee in the country which does sting; but
the kind we saw seem to have neither the power nor the inclination, for
they certainly did not hurt us; and our friends said they were always
'muy manso,' very tame, and never stung any one. The honey gave out a
rich aromatic perfume, and tasted differently from ours, but possessed an
agreeable flavour."
From the periodicals of the last year, I have observed that there has
been an importation of the stingless bees into this country. I doubt the
success of their establishment here, as the fruits of their labours may
very soon become the prey of wasps and corsair bees, and even of the
hive-bees which, in a dearth of honey or when from a paucity of numbers
a hive is weakly defended, will commit depredations upon one another.
The stingless bees having no weapon of defence which enables them to
cope with armed assailants must soon be exterminated. In their native
clime, where there is an abundance of sweets, no temptations to predatory
attack may occur; but in our hemisphere, as Buffon has observed, there
are hundreds of lazy creatures, fond of honey and disliking labour, that
would, but for the weapons of defence possessed by our bees, invade their
hives and carry off the treasures.
Honey-bees do not appear to have been among the native productions of
North America, though they have now become general throughout that
continent. When established there, they extended themselves somewhat
in advance of the white population; in consequence of which they were
called by the native Indians, the white man's flies, and were regarded as
indicating the approach of European settlements.--Jefferson's Virginia.
An elegant modern writer has observed upon this subject, that "a few
years ago the hum of a bee had never been heard on the western side of
Alleghany Mountains: but that a violent hurricane having carried several
swarms over that lofty ridge, they found there a new unexhausted country,
singularly favourable to their propagation, where they have multiplied,
till the whole of those boundless savannahs and plains have been
colonized by these indefatigable emigrants."
From what I have said above, it would seem that the bees of all tropical
climates store their honey in cells or bags of large dimensions; but
from Mr. Basil Hall's account it appears that the bees of South America
build small cells also, resembling those of our hive-bees; and in all
probability this is the case with those of other hot climates, and that
these small cells are merely used as receptacles for the young brood.