Bee Keeping. Benton Frank
color, the typical queen being, however, dark bronze, large, well rounded, strong, and active.
Italians, the first of the foreign races to be introduced into this country, are much more widely known, and have with reason found great favor, since they are industrious, good defenders of their hives, and excellent honey gatherers, as well as handsome in appearance, being usually evenly marked with three yellow bands across the anterior portion of the abdomen. The blood has become so disseminated through the apiaries of the country that many hybrid bees having but one to two yellow bands are counted as Italians, and their cross disposition, derived through the males of the common race, is charged to the Italians. Strains of Italians pure in blood have been bred by selection in this country until the three yellow bands have become so wide as to be nearly or quite joined, and in some instances nearly the whole abdomen is yellow. In general, however, as regards gathering powers it does not seem that any improvement has been made by this selection, the dark or leather-colored Italians proving, all in all, more vigorous, gentle, and better honey gatherers, while as regards wintering they are also superior. It must be acknowledged, however, that the Italian race is slightly inferior in wintering qualities to all of the others which have been generally introduced into America.
Cyprians, from the island of Cyprus, may be taken as a general type with which to compare other eastern races. They are small bodied, more slender, in fact, than any of the European races of bees. The abdomen is more pointed and shows, when the bees are purely bred, three light-colored bands on the upper surface, and considerable yellow on the under side. Between the wing attachments on the thorax is a little prominence, shaped like a half moon, which is usually quite plainly yellow in color. The queens are small bodied, yellow in color, with more or less black at the tip of the abdomen. The drones have a heavy coat of fuzz on the thorax, and the abdomen presents a mottled yellow appearance, being often highly yellow. Cyprians possess longer tongues and greater wing-power than other races. This, combined with great prolificness and most remarkable activity, renders them the best of honey gatherers. In temper, however, they may be regarded as rather aggressive, rendering their management by any who are not experts extremely difficult. This feature may, however, be largely overcome by crossing the queens of this race with the drones of very gentle types. In this manner bees are produced that are readily amenable to smoke and ordinary methods in manipulation, combined with the excellent honey-gathering powers and prolificness of the eastern races.
Cyprio-Carniolans and Cyprio-Caucasians.—The author conceived the idea in the early eighties that by crossing the Cyprian and Carniolan races a type might be developed which would combine the excellent traits of both of these. The first matings of Cyprians and Carniolans were made by him in 1883 in Carniola itself, thus insuring positively the fecundation of the Cyprian queens by Carniolan drones. Bees combining the blood of the two races in various proportions have since been tested for years in comparison with all other known races, with the result that the cross mentioned above has been found to exceed all of the pure races in honey-gathering powers, owing undoubtedly to the combination of great energy, hardiness, prolificness, and wing-power, as well as greater length of tongue—a fact established by actual measurements. Similar results, with even greater gentleness, may be expected from the cross obtained between Cyprian queens and Caucasian drones.
Syrian and Palestine or "Holy-Land" bees.—What has been said of Cyprians may be taken to apply in a general sense to Syrian and Palestine bees, except that in these the good qualities are slightly less prominent, while some of the bad ones of the Cyprians are accentuated. No separate description of these is, therefore, particularly necessary in this place.
German, Common Black, or Brown bees.—The bees commonly found wild, and cultivated to a greater or less extent, in this country, and known under the above name, are probably derived from early introductions from the Old World. In comparison with the races above enumerated, they may be said to be inferior, since they possess the least energy in honey collecting, are less prolific, and not as good defenders of their hives. Under favorable conditions, however, as regards pasturage they may be relied upon for excellent results. They are, however, spiteful under manipulation, and have the disagreeable habit of running from the combs and dropping in bunches on the ground, likewise of flying from the hive entrance and attacking passers-by. They are more easily discouraged than other bees during slack times as regards honey production, and this is doubtless the main reason for their generally inferior economic value.
WHAT HIVE TO ADOPT.
The suspended Langstroth frame is used more than any other frame among English-speaking bee keepers. It is safe to say that in the United States 500 hives are made and used which are essentially Langstroth in principle to one frame hive of any other kind whatever. In the British Islands, Australia, and New Zealand the proportion of frames on the Langstroth principle in use is probably even greater, scarcely any other frame hives being employed.
The success of American bee culture in the last twenty years was first attributed by European bee keepers to the honey-producing power of the country; but the most intelligent apiarists who have tried the American methods with the Langstroth hive now recognize that success is principally due to the manipulations that it permits. ("The Hive and Honey Bee," revised, 1888, page 145.)
We can predict, and without any fear of mistake, that the principles on which the Langstroth hive is based will be admitted sooner or later by the most progressive bee keepers of the world. ("Revue Internationale d' Apiculture" (Switzerland), September, 1885, edited by Edouard Bertrand.)
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