Bees Avoid a Big Boulder

The Daily Press,
May 14, 1910, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Bees Avoid A Big Boulder
Move Out of Tree Before Huge Stone Crashes Into it Smashing Everything in Path.

New York.—Someone tipped off to a big hive of bees in a hollow tree at the foot of Hog mountain that a ten ton boulder was going to roll down from the top of the mountain and smash everything in its path,  including the tree in which they had stored 700 pounds of honey. In what way they got the tip is not known.

The best evidence the bees had it is they moved to another tree out of the danger line a few hours before the big boulder made its sensational downward rush, and that Reuben Van Winkle, who owns the farm on which the bee trees are, returned from Montclair loaded down with presents he bought after he had sold the 700 pounds of honey for fancy prices.  Incidentally, when in Montclair, he fell
so rich as a result of the bee tip and the boulder he went to the Central hotel and had a full course dinner.

The bees occupied the hollow tree ten years. Van Winkle never disturbed them, because he knew the
only way to get the honey was to cut the tree down. He was averse to doing that. So the insects worked
away until the tree literally was saturated with honey. Two weeks ago he noticed the bees were moving to another hollow tree. He thought it was because a new swarm was being driven out of the old quarters to find a new home. As he sized it up, nothing short of a big fight in the hive could force bees to go out in December.

Friday night the Van Winkles were aroused by a terrific crashing on the mountainside. Van Winkle got out of bed and went to investigate. By that time the noise had ceased and he could not discover the cause. In the morning, however, he saw the big boulder in his meadow and up the mountainside trees which had been felled by its rush. At the end of the line lay the old bee tree.

Then it dawned upon Van Winkle why the bees had moved.

thanks to Historical Honeybee