APICULTURE. 805 



bee ; the Syrian bee ; the Cyprian bee ; the yellow, Egyptian bee ; 

 the amiable, Carniolan bee, of Africa ; the superbly beautiful Dalma- 

 tian bee ; the Smyrnian bee, very popular in Austria ; and the sting- 

 less bees of South America. 



In this country (i. e., Canada and the United States) we have prin- 

 cipally the German and Italian bees ; but within the past five years 

 the Syrian and Cyprian varieties have been extensively imported into 

 this country by that distinguished and enterprising apiarist, D. A. 

 Jones, of Beeton, Ontario. As the genus Apis is not indigenous to 

 this continent, all now existing here have been introduced from the 

 Eastern Hemisphere — first, the black and Ligurian races, and latterly 

 the Eastern varieties. 



Each of the varieties now in this country (vying for " survival " 

 as the " fittest ") has its distinguishing characteristics. So far, how- 

 ever, the Italians seem to possess more good points and desirable 

 qualities than any of the other races, and hence are the most numerous 

 and popular among advanced apiarists. Their chief distinguishing 

 qualities are superior amiability, industry, and what may be called 

 patriotism, or indomitable energy in defending their homes against 

 invaders, such as robber bees and the *' bee-moth" — against both of 

 which they are quite invincible. While different strains of this variety 

 vary considerably in color, they are in general distinguished by three 

 beautiful yellow bands across the abdomen. They also have longer 

 tongues than the German bees, by which they are enabled to sip the 

 nectar from places inaccessible to their less favored competitors. A. 

 J. Cook, Entomological Professor in the Michigan Agricultural Col- 

 lege, who has done very much to advance scientific bee-culture in the 

 United States, says on this point, " The tongue of the black worker 

 I have found, by repeated dissections and comparisons, made both by 

 myself and by my pupils, is shorter than that of the Italian worker, 

 and generally less hairy."* In confirmation of this fact, established 

 by Professor Cook's dissections, I have frequently noticed my Italian 

 bees, during a scarcity of honey from other sources, working upon the 

 second bloom of the common red clover (not the Trifolium pratense, 

 which the black bee can readily work upon), when the German bees 

 were doing nothing on it, the flower tubes being too long for their 

 tongues. 



The black bees (or rather, German, for in point of fact they are 

 not black in color, but a gray-black) have some desirable qualities, 

 though they are now being rapidly superseded by the Italians. They 

 produce nicer comb-honey than the Italians, or perhaps any other race. 

 The proverbial whiteness and finish of their comb are due mostly to 

 the extra capping. 



For the Syrian races of bees, Mr. Jones and some other leading 

 apiarists claim some superior qualities. I am inclined to think the 



* " Bee-Keeper's Guide," ninth edition, p. 35. 



