Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CHAPTER XXBEE HUNTINGThe craft of the bee hunter, although based uponsome curious woods lore, is not hard to acquireunder proper tutelage. The theory is simple enough.First capture a few wild bees and let them fill upon honey or other bait that has been brought alongfor the purpose; then liberate them, follow in thedirection of their flight as far as you are sure ofit, capture and send out more guides, and so onuntil the tree is reached. In practice, successful beehunters resort to some shrewd arts unknown in anyother branch of wildcraft.A backwoodsman's way of ^'lining" bees, when hemerely chances upon them, not prepared for regularbee hunting, is to capture one of the insects andfasten to it, or stick into it, a small, downy feather,a bit of straw or thistle-down, or some other lightthing by which he can distinguish the insect in itsflight; then he liberates it, and follows it as far ashe can by sight. The bee, bothered by its strangeincumbrance, and finding that it cannot rid itself ofthe thing by its own exertions, goes home for help.Then the hunter, having secured a few more bees,follows the line of flight as far as he can, sets freeanother marked bee, and thus proceeds until heeither finds the hive or at least gets a clear notionof its whereabouts. Then he, too, goes home, andprepares for bee robbing in earnest.That sort of thing is accidental. But a regular beehunter does not depend upon luck at any stage ofthe game. He goes out looking for bees, and forbees only. He knows where to look, where not to354