THE ITALIAN HONEY-BEE. 535 



the flowers, which may not bloom before the following May. Colonies, and 

 particularly weak ones, which are thus retarded in breeding during the early 

 part of the season, cannot become populous until much of the honey harvest 

 has passed, if not entirely over, and then, failing to secure a sufficient " winter 

 supply," perish of hunger, or desert their hives, and in attempting to enter 

 others are often stung to death. By simply giving such a weak stock, early 

 in spring, one or two combs of honey and nearl?/ matured Jroo^Z from a populous 

 colony in exchange for as many empty combs, the Aveak colony can, in a few 

 days, be made so populous as to give full scope to the laying powers of its 

 queen, and become densely populated by the time the honey harvest opens ia 

 the spring. The moth, which is generally regarded as the greatest enemy 

 to bee culture, seldom attacks, and never successfully overcomes, a populous 

 colony. In a large majority of cases Avhere they have done so the cause has 

 been the loss of the queen. This loss can seldom be ascertained in other hives 

 before the work is so far accomplished as to be irrecoverable, while, with the 

 aid of the movable comb hive, it, as well as the intelligent and seasonable ap- 

 plication of the proper remedy, is but the work of a few minutes. These are 

 but a few of the many vitally important advantages which the Rev. L. L. 

 Langstroth has contributed to the bee culture by the invention of his admirable 

 Live. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE ITALIAN BEE. 



The Italian honey-bee differs from our native or black bee in color, size, tem- 

 perament, productiveness, industry, and power of endurance. 



THE QUEEN. 



The abdomen of the queen is somewhat more lengthy than that of the native 

 queen. The abdominal rings of the Italian queens do not possess like degrees 

 of brilliancy of color. Whether this is the result of accident, or otherwise, I 

 have as yet been unable definitely to determine, but have noticed that the 

 dai'ker colors (which are few) are more frequently bred in the old dark-coloreci' 

 combs than in new. The bright or standard color of the queens, when first 

 haitched, is of a yellowish or straw color, commencing at the waist and extend- 

 ing nearly to the lower extremity of her abdomen, which is of a dark chestnut 

 brown color, the yellow, as it approaches the three lower abdominal rings, 

 gradually blending in the brown; the lower edges of the four uppermost yellow 

 abdominal rings sometimes having a very narrow bordering of darker shade 

 than the balance. When first hatched they are long and slender, but in the 

 course of four or five days the abdomen contracts in length, and frequently 

 presents a rusty brownish appearance until two or three days after impregna- 

 tion, when the abdomen becomes gradually elongated and somewhat distended, 

 and assumes a somewhat darker shade of its original bright color. Subsequent 

 years of age slightly increases the dark shade of coloring. When she ceases 

 laying in the fall or winter her abdomen again contracts, its length resembling 

 somewhat its s-ize and shape prior to impregnation. 



THE DRONES 



vary much more in color. On some the only perceptible difference between 

 them and the native drone is a slightly lighter shade in the narrow border on 

 the lower edges of their abdominal rings. While the upper half of the abdomen 

 of others will be entirely of a rich yellow or orange color, others are spotted, 

 and a few I have seen which were almost entirely of a whitish yellow, inter- 

 spersed with spots of a brownish color. In shape and size they resemble our 

 native drone. 



