Rebirth in 1984, starting from beekeeping in the mountains

Chapter 64: The Threat of the Ghost-headed Bee
The first beehive in Goubeiling was dug with great difficulty.

This swarm of bees built their nest in the gap between two large rocks.

Fang Hongan and Wang Tong took turns using the newly prepared hammers and chisels. After nearly two hours, they finally managed to chisel open a space where they could reach in and take out the honeycomb.

Good thing...

This is a strong swarm.

Not only do there are as many as twelve honeycombs, but each one is about the size of a palm-leaf fan.

After a frenzy of digging, the harvest from this nest alone filled up half of the bamboo basket.

After this difficult start.

The next few swarms were not very smooth.

Most of them are hidden in the cracks between the rocks.

The entrance is small, the honeycomb is deep, and it is extremely difficult to dig!
There are not many beehives.

The two men were busy on the mountain from morning till nightfall, and finally they filled two large bamboo baskets.

I walked down the mountain in the night and headed towards Fang Hongan's home in Shiwan Village.

"Brother! I really don't understand why it is so difficult to dig in our village."

“Obviously, all these mountains are similar!”

On the way, Wang Tong still looked confused.

Today was the first day in the mountains of their village, and he was originally full of hope and confidence.

But today's result hurt him a lot.

When they were on the mountain in Shiwan Village before, they both had to go back at noon.

Each person needs to fill two bamboo baskets a day.

This gain is equivalent to being cut in half.

After hearing what he said, Fang Hongan just sighed and said helplessly: "Maybe...the bees in your village have become spirits!"

Wang Tong: “…”

Seeing that he didn't understand what he meant, Fang Hongan didn't explain too much. His thoughts were racing in his mind, and he thought about making bee clothes for the ghost bees.

When he said that the bees in Shanmuling Village had become spirits, he was not making it up, but was just using a metaphor.

Today, after he clearly felt that the honey on this mountain was difficult to dig, he had been quietly investigating and observing.

This observation actually revealed the problem.

While chasing the bees on Goubei Ridge, he saw two places where ghost bees built nests and bulldozers.

Just as he was going down the mountain, Fang Hongan saw another hive of black bees built on a tree in the forest next to Goubeiling.

Plus the nest behind the thatched grass at the foot of the mountain...

That is to say...

Just the ones he had seen so far, there were four nests of ghost wasps.

In an area where there are so many hornets rampant, one can imagine the plight of the bees on Dogback Ridge.

The bee colonies that can survive must be very smart and find ways to build their hives deeper and more solidly!
In this case, it will naturally be difficult to dig.

It was beyond Fang Hongan's expectation that there were so many ghost bees in Shanmuling Village.

While Fang Hongan had a feeling that the upcoming honey-digging trip would not be very smooth, he was more concerned about finding a way to get rid of these ghost bees.

Shanmuling Village and Shiwan Village are adjacent to each other. Take Goubeiling for example. The straight-line distance from the thatched house where Fang Hongan placed the beehives is about two kilometers.

This distance is within the hunting radius of the ghost bee.

Not to mention, once the hive colony becomes strong enough, it will swarm and expand.

There are many ghost bees in Shanmuling Village, and sooner or later they will spread to Shiwan Village.

Or maybe... it has actually spread, but I just didn't notice it before.

In this case, there is a considerable hidden threat to Fang Hongan's beekeeping plan. It is imperative to clean up the ghost-headed bees!

Of course, there is actually another very important reason why Fang Hongan wants to clean up these ghost bees.

That is, in fact, digging up the hives of black bees can also bring great economic benefits.

Even... the profit is greater than digging up a beehive.

Although the ghost bee is highly poisonous, its whole body is a treasure. Not only can it be sold directly to medicinal material purchasing stations as a medicinal material, but it can also be used to make wine. The wine made from it is very effective in enhancing men's combat effectiveness, treating bruises and injuries, and promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

In later times, a pound of Guitoufeng wine could easily be sold for more than 100 yuan per pound in the Xiaonan area.

Although Fang Hongan didn't know the exact price these days, he thought it wouldn't be very cheap.

As for the bee pupae in the hive of the devil bee, they are a delicacy that many people covet.

It’s full of protein and tastes delicious whether fried, deep-fried or grilled.

In later generations, it was also a very popular game in the Xiaonan area!
However, digging out a bee hive is not as simple as cleaning out the bees.

The toxicity of the ghost wasp is no joke.

If you want to dig out a hive of black bees, you must first make a beehive suit that can protect you from black bees.

In later generations, it is easy to buy bee clothes specifically designed to protect against wasps and hornets, but in this era, such clothes are still not available.

After much thought, Fang Hongan could only rely on his experience in his previous life to find materials and find someone to customize a few pieces.

When he got home, Fang Hongan wrote down with pen and paper the materials he had thought of that could be used to make beehives.

After eating with Wang Tong, the two of them worked together to put the honeycombs into a large jar, and then sent him home to rest.

According to the craftsmanship of Carpenter Yang, the honey shaker can be made in two days. These honeycombs can be stored first, and when the honey shaker is ready, you can use it directly to shake the honey. It is convenient and saves labor.

The next day.

When it's not yet completely light.

Fang Hongan rushed to Shanmuling Village again.

After meeting up with Wang Tong, Fang Hongan decisively decided not to go to Goubeiling, but instead led Wang Tong to a ravine called Wugonggou.

This ravine is located at the junction of Shiwan Village and Shanmuling.

It is a small ravine covered mainly with thatched grass and low wild trees. The nectar-producing plants nearby are not as abundant as those in Houbei Ridge.

Strictly speaking, it is not the best place to attract bees.

But Fang Hongan’s consideration was that this small ravine was located far away from Goubeiling.

And, importantly, this kind of environment is not the one that the hornets like to build their nests in.

Therefore, Fang Hongan came to take a look with the idea of ​​confirming his guess and trying his luck.

When the two arrived at Centipede Valley, it was already completely light.

After finding a ventilated location, Wang Tong began to lure bees.

Fang Hongan was wandering around, looking for any traces of bees or ghost wasps.

He hadn't walked far when Wang Tong waved to him excitedly.

That gesture clearly told him that he had successfully lured the bee.

So fast!
The speed of luring the bees was really beyond Fang Hongan's expectations.

When he returned to the bee-attracting site, a small group of bees had already gathered where he had sprinkled the bee-attracting water.

Bees were still buzzing in the air and were rushing over.

This grand occasion is comparable to that at Mashiling.

"It seems that this guess was correct."

"The bees on the hilltop of Shanmuling Village are under too great a threat from the ghost-headed bees. Their normal environment has been greatly squeezed, so... they are forced to move to areas that are less affected by the ghost-headed bees."

(End of this chapter)