European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1959, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By erne Weatherall staff writer Tave you been stung by a Bee this summer then you Are not alone. During the dry season in Europe this year conservative estimates put Bee stings at1,243,173 or 956,342 More than last year. And the summer is not Over yet but Don t blame the Little Fellows. It s been a Tough summer what with the Flowers All withered and completely out of  it s Only natural that they invade your Kitchen compete with ants at your picnic and want to share your ice Cream or soft  Are a pretty Friendly Bunch unless you re mean enough to want to shoo them away. Then brother out come the  May be surprised to learn that bees too have problems. And they Are very much like the humans whom they torment. Take moving for example when a swarm of bees decides to change its address there is quite a lot of discus Sion about it. Two Brave zoologists from Munich University discovered this after studying wild bees the villains who Are mainly responsible for the rash of stings this  did this by observing swarms of homeless bees looking for a honeycomb roof to put Over their Heads. Now to the untrained Eye the bees seemed to be Buzz ing with their cousins in great numbers. But the professors Learned what the big Buzz sessions were All about. The bees were voting on where they should sign a lease for the next year. Scout bees who have cased various spots Fly Back with a report on what for rent. But instead of using the Golden oratory of a politician the scouts get their message across by dancing. They wiggle Rock n Roll Bunny hop and Jitterbug As they Tell the swarm about the housing they have found. After years of study the zoologists have observed that these dances have certain geometrical Fig ures which they have Learned to interpret. My House he dances is located in the follow of an old tree near a Field of Clover with just the right prevailing winds in the area but with so Many scout bees making a pitch the discussion or dancing lasts for hours. Sometimes for Days. Finally some of the less ragged scout bees get out danced or outsold by their competitors. Since they can t beat pm they join pm by joining their dance. This usually leaves about a dozen or so winged salesmen still buzzing away til the bitter end. And the arguments go  the scout bees will Fly Back to the empty Homestead to look for a few More superlatives to dance for the swarm. Since the swarm has Only one Queen Dee who remains aloof from the whole proceedings it never splits with members going their separate ways. Zoologists say however they have observed a swarm be comes impatient and flies away while the scouts have become deadlocked for Days on where to move. But the Busy bees like politicians deadlocked Over the Choice of a candidate who retire to a smoke filled room finally dance out the differences and come to an  the location is chosen the scouts make a Bee line to Check it once More. Zoologists played a dirty trick on one scout by cutting Down the tree that had been picked As the swarm s Homestead. The Bee scouts were bewildered. The had to meet All Over again which took several Days to decide on another place. Just Why a swarm of bees gets rest less and decides to take off for far away places is still under study by , they have discovered Why West German bees near the zonal Border were moving Over to East  want because they were communists or defectors. It was because the red Lover on the other Side of the barbed wire was  seems that red Clover was formerly raised mainly in the Eastern part of Ger Many when shipments from the present soviet zone trickled to an end Farmers in West Germany bought the Clover seed from Italy. \ unfortunately the blossoms of the imported red Clover Are deeper than the Domestic kind. The average German Bee s Tongue is too Short to get at the nectarine the blossoms. After a conference bees from the fed eral Republic flew Over the Boundary to the Fields of collective farms in the soviet zone where the old fashioned red German Clover still grows � by Henry b. Kraft staff writer nearly 50 years before the discover of America by Christopher Columbus the ancient German town of Markgren Ingen was holding a festival which it c6nducts even to this Day. This is the celebrated Shepherd race which tradition traces to the year 1443. It is More than a race Between male and female shepherds for the crowns of King and Queen of the herders. It is a time when usually quiet Mark Groningen at the foot of Asper Mountain near ludwigs Burg copies to life with a riot of medieval color and pageantry. Like most festivals the Shepherd race of Mark Groningen has its origin in legend. This one is As follows once upon a time there was a count of the Young people of Mark Groningen perform the traditional Shephe is1 dance in Honor of the barefooted King and Queen looking on at right. Winners last year were Shepherd Walter All Gaier and shepherdess Marianne Weiler 16. Groningen who owned a Large flock ots Heep Over which he placed a boy As Shep Herd. One Day the count was told that that boy was Selling some of the flock and  the Money for himself. At a time when even poaching was considered so heinous a crime that it was punishable by mutilation or death such an offence if the Shepherd boy was guilty was indeed grave. Furious Over the betrayal of Trust the count who had believed the Shepher Dho nest disguised himself As a Butcher and without telling anyone of his purpose went to see the boy Barte in the Fields. The count was Dierr Ninon of learn for  i to extent of bar ets perfidy. Lie sink flattering by to flip boy. Handed him a Large sum of Money and reached Forone of the sheep.  Bee Arr so enraged Over this attempt to make him dishonest that he slapped the pretended Butcher in the face. This act instead of infuriating the count so impressed him with the faithfulness of his servant that he gave the boy a Lamb for himself and decreed that every year Saint Bartholomew s Day which was the boy s Saint s Day should be celebrated by All Mark Groningen Shepherd Sas a memorial to the honest Bartel. And Ever since aug 24 has been the Date on which Mark Groningen annually Cele Brates the honesty of a Shepherd boy. Although the Shepherd race Over a rough 300-foot obstacle  is the highlight of the festival the unique Shepherd dance o red by the waning couple is another Tito racing contest ant the boy and girl Niide h awarded Ai All a a tired j n traditional cos tume of Lilii  of Germany. The a ism  0 Iho festival five  j  he Sho Pheul March in front 01 the Homos of town Council  the next morning the town is Awak ened by Drums. Then a High official of the District lends the shepherds and guests of the festival committee to the town Hall where the representatives of a Shepherd Guild ask for their Flag and the prizes for the race. Then contestants of both sexes Register. Each year at 9 45 am a play entitled the faithful Bartel is performed in the town Hall. At 11 o clock the traditional Parade forms in front of the upper Gate of the former Castle. In the Parade is always the count of Groningen Riding a horse and a boy representing Bartel. In it Are also shepherds carrying a coffer in which their Guild used to keep its Money and documents. Leading each March is the town Shepherd of Mark Groningen with soldiers in medieval costumes actin Gas escorts. While Bells toll this year the Parade will move toward the easter Gate and through the main Street to the Market Square and into Church for services. At noon the crowd will move to the playground where therace and other contests Are conducted. Later restaurants will open their doors to the crowd and following tradition meals also will be served in the foyer of town Hall. Then dancing will begin on a upper floor. The shepherds dance per formed by All shepherds to Honor their King and Queen is something like a Square dance. The dance is traditional and per formed in Mark Groningen Only on aug. 24. In addition to the festival Markgren Ingen itself is Worth seeing because of its Many medieval buildings. A town of 6,500 inhabitants it is located Between the Black Forest and the Neckar River near ludwigs Burg Only a Short distance from Stuttgart. The town Hall erected in 1445, is the town s outstanding building and is considered one of the most Beautiful in Wuerttemberg. In front of it is a Fountain statue of a Knight dated 1580. The old Castle and town Wall also testify to Mark Groningen s Long existence. The festival opens each aug. 24 with a procession of costumed townsfolk. The stars and stripes tuesday August 18, 1959 dance contestant tries to touch partner s head to the crossbar. The stars and stripes 13