87 
and that this right is leased out annually by the Forest department to 
the jungle tribes who collect the honey and wax. Discoxstinuance of 
the issue of such licenses should form an obvious and simple check on 
the destruction of the bees. This applies, of course, particularly to the 
gregarious colonies of Apis dorsata : it is difficult to see that legislation 
or the non-issue of licenses would prevent in practice the destruction 
of single nests of Apis indica and Apis florca, as their nests are com- 
monly robbed when found and the honey eaten on the spot. But, 
in the case of the large colonies of Apis dorsata, which are always 
found in particular localities, which commonly store honey at particular 
and well-known times of the year, and for whose taking special pre- 
parations have to be made, there should he little difficulty in guarding 
against illicit interference. As has already been pointed out, the bees 
desert their nests at regular intervals and permission might be given 
to collect the wax (old combs) after the bees have flown. 
33. In the case of colonies of Apés dorsata outside of reserved forest 
areas, they are mostly found within the limits of the estates of the 
planters themselves, to whose obvious interest it isto protect the bees 
from being harried by despoiiers and to encourage the bees as far as 
possible by preserving trees or localities which they have made their 
head-quarters. No legislation appears to be necessary to effect this : 
is is a matter for the good sense and co-operation of the planters who 
are most concerned in the matter. 
34, The keeping of bees in hives has been suggested as one solution 
ofthe difficulty. For this Apis dorsata is unsuitable as it is too fierce 
and intractable, and Apis florea lives in too small colonies to be of much 
use, besides which the latter bee does not seern common in the plant- 
ing districts where the conditions evidently do not suit it; in any 
case, also, both these bees build only a single comb ard are therefore 
unsuited for life in a hive. Apis inlica, however, building several 
parallel combs and living normally in hollow trees and similar situ- 
ations, will adapt itself fairly readily to semi-domesticated conditions 
in the frame-hive for a short period, bunt the colonies have strongly 
vagrant tendencies so that they usually swarm out and fly off again 
after a few months. By having a dozen or more hives and constantly 
repopulating them with freshly collected swarms, it is possible to 
keep at least a few colonies going, but the trouble required is likely 
to be more than will be taken by any one who is not an enthusiast in 
the subject of bee-keeping whilst the yield of honey is too small (about 
6 lbs. per hive per annum) to repay the cost and labour required for 
its production. This, however, takes no account of the good done by 
the bees in pollinating flowers—not only of coffee but of most of the 
flowers of the garden, shade-trees, green-manure crops, etc.—and it 
would certainly be advantageous to all estates if a few hives of bees 
could be kept. 
35. General summary and recommendations.—(1) The presence of 
bees is not essential for the successful pollination of coffee, but 
(2) The natural, and therefore mos desirable, form of pollination 
is achieved by the aid of flower-visiting insects, of which 
(3) Bees are the most important. 
