105 



dearth, due to easy, discouragement when a honey flow slackens. 

 They defend their colonies less energetically than various other types. 

 Spitefulness and a ready disposition to fly at passers-by,, as well as to 

 resent greatly any manipulation of the combs, are among their unde- 

 sirable traits. 



Italians. — These are more active, more prolific, much gentler under 

 manipulation, defend their hives better against various bee enemies, 

 and in general are better economic managers. 



Cyprian and other Eastern types. — The record for the largest yield 

 of honey ever obtained from a single colony is held by the Cyprians. 

 This is due to a combination of certain excellent traits, sucli as great 

 prolificness, relatively great wing power, most wonderful energy in 

 honey collecting, rapid breeding in early spring, persistent and con- 

 tinuous field work, even tliough the return at times be somewhat slow, 

 together with the best possible defense of the hive against enemies 

 which may tend to reduce its effective force. With these traits the 

 Cyprians combine, however, a degree of irascibility which renders 

 their general introduction as a pure t^'pe inadvisable. Their disposi- 

 tion to produce laying workers is also great, and operates against 

 them. Another feature, which condemns them for the production of 

 comb honey of the very highest finish, is the tendency Avhich they 

 have of filling the individual cells quite to the brim with honey, so 

 that the wax cap rests flat ui)on the liquid and presents, therefore, a 

 soaked or watery appearance instead of the clear snow-wdiite surface 

 which certain other races give to their finished combs. The other 

 eastern types possess the same general characteristics, yet the excel- 

 lent traits here indicated are in the main less pronounced witli them. 



Carniolans. — These are radically ditl'erent from the bees just under 

 consideration, botl> in apjjearance and characteristics. Large-bodied, 

 gray in color, somewhat droning in flight, they present a great con- 

 trast to the slender, yellow, and nimble- winged Cyprians. The Car- 

 niolans, having reached their de^'elopment in an elevated Alpine 

 region, are distinguished for great hardiness, the individual workers 

 being able to stand a considerably loAver temperature than those of 

 the next hardiest type — the blacks. The queens are very prolific, 

 and earh' brood-rearing is the rule, so that the decimation of colonies, 

 so noticeable with blacks and Italians of pure blood, is reduced to a 

 minimum when only pure Carniolans are present. They possess the 

 excellent peculiarity of capping their combs in such a manner as to 

 give them a snowy-white and very attractive appearance. The 

 amount of propolis, or bee glue, gathered by them is small; hence the 

 tendency to daub sections and combs is less than with any other type. 

 Their disposition is most excellent, enabling anyone to handle them 

 easily by the use of a small amount of smoke. 



Caucasians. — These bees have hardly been tested sufficiently to 



