18'82 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUttullE. 



433 



First of all, perforated zinc will have to be obtained 

 with slots large enough to allow the passage of 

 queens, yet not large enough to allow drones to 

 pass also. If the size of the queens and drones is 

 too nearly alike to allow this, then wo might as well 

 drop this whole matter at once, and consider the 

 making of a practical drone-trap as an impossibility. 

 Second, the trap itself must be made of open ma- 

 terial — if possible, more open than the excluder, as 

 the drones seek the light to pass out; and third, 

 some better device than the tube of wire cloth should 

 be used to prevent drones returning to the hive. I 

 would suggest a cone, or, better yet, a double cone, 

 with openings at top just large enough for passage 

 of drones. 



Now, friend Root, if you think this matter of suffi- 

 cient importance to bee-keepers, I wish you would 

 experiment some to see if zinc can be made with ob- 

 long perforations that will allow the passage of 

 queens but not drones, as this is the ore thing I con- 

 sider absolutely necessary in a practical drone-trap. 



I wish to say right here, that 1 have always looked 

 on all tixings and traps around our bee-hives with a 

 good deal of contempt; and I am not positive but 

 that drone-traps are deserving of the same atten- 

 tion; but the great desirability of improving our 

 bees by a more rigid selection of drones, compels us 

 to do what we don't like to do. O. O. Poppleton. 



Williamstown, la., Aug. 7, 1882. 



Your closing sentiment pretty nearly 

 agrees with the way I have felt about almost 

 all such contrivances, friend P., and I must 

 confess I have been not a little surprised at 

 the demand there has been this season for 

 the Jones drone-traps. The demand would 

 seem to indicate the interest our ])eople feel 

 in this matter, and very likely it is high 

 time, in this age of progress, that something 

 were done about suppressing drones we don't 

 want. The use of worker fdn. has already 

 done very much, for by the old way we used 

 frequently to have drone comb by the square 

 foot, and, as a consequence, drones enough 

 in a single hive to fertilize all the queens for 

 miles around. The next question is. What 

 drones shall we rear for the fertilization of 

 our queens V In other words, does anybody 

 know what drones will give us the best hon- 

 ey-gatherers V Aside from having them 

 reared from a queen we know is of great 

 value in producing a honey-gathering proge- 

 ny, it seems quite natiu'al that large drones 

 would be best ; and if they are bright, and 

 nicely banded with yellow, it seems as if the 

 worker bees might be more likely to be so 

 too ; but how much do we really know about 

 it, and what are the chances that we shall 

 improve greatly on the old way, even after 

 we get the management of the matter V Of 

 course, we can get rid of all black blood, and 

 we can, if we choose, more rapidly introduce 

 Cyprian and IIoly-Land blood ; and neigh- 

 bor II. has been for some time controlling 

 his drone progeny to a great extent, in this 

 very way ; but, are we sure that getting rid 

 of all traces of black blood is going to aug- 

 ment our honey crop? Day before yesterday 

 I visited an apiary where the bees were fill- 

 ing boxes right along through August, and 

 they did it just about as fast as they ever do 

 here in June ; but the owner declared his 

 best yields of comb honey were from hybrids 

 invariably. This is no new report, and now 



the point comes before us. Do we really 

 know just what we want to do, when we 

 learn how V— Large drones may be kept witli 

 a guard that will allow queens to pass ; but 

 small drones from fertile workers will be 

 quite likely to go where a queen goes. 



YELLO^V BEES. 



STILL IN EXISTENCE, AND NOT IT.iLIANS EITHER. 



^JSUCH has been said in the interesting columns 

 ITfynijI of Gleanin(;s concerning the *' yellow-band- 

 ' ed bees" which existed in this country prior 

 to the importation of our "golden Italians," and 

 much doubt has been expressed by yourself and 

 manj- other prominent and able writers upon the 

 subject, even questioning the possibility of such a 

 thing. Having not yet attained to a man's estate, I 

 can not remember (?) seeing them in ante-bellum 

 days, and have consequently entertained the opinion, 

 in common with yourself, that those who spoke of 

 these bees might possibly be mistalien; but I have 

 recently met with evidence which I think sufficient- 

 ly important to merit your consideration. 



Forty miles from any place where the Italian has 

 ever been known to wing his flight, and among 

 people unacquainted with modern bee culture, my 

 attention was attracted by a few colonies of bees by 

 the roadside. Upon examination I found them 

 to be very much like the Italians in form, a little 

 smaller, and with a small yelhno h'tnd on each of the 

 three tlrst segments of his abdomen. These yel'ow 

 bands were on the "horny scale," but were only 

 about one-third the width of the segments, leaving 

 a small space between each, covered with a kind of 

 down, which you claim is the only stripe they have. 

 I remarked, "These are not the little blacks?" 

 "No," replied the owner, "they are our yellow bees." 

 I was content to keep quiet, however, until I ex- 

 amined other hives, there and in other portions of 

 the country, which I found to be likewise. The 

 drones were as well marked as some I have seen 

 from "imported mothers." 



These bees have been in the hands of their present 

 owner a number of years, and as my apiary is forty 

 miles away, containing the nearest Italians, and 

 these bees were with him before I had ever seen a 

 "yellow bee," they can hanltybe hybrids. I know 

 several men whose bees are all of this variety, and 

 from my observations I think they are more in- 

 dustrious than common blacks, and less pugnacious 

 than hybrids. They reproduce themselves as con- 

 sistently as any bees, maintaining their characteris- 

 tic appearance, and I would pronounce them a diS' 

 tinct race of hccs. 



I have not entered into any elaborate argument to 

 support my opinion in this matter, but expect to 

 rear a few colonies of these bees for my own gratift- 

 eation; and if I am correct, }'ou will, perhaps, hear 

 me again on the question of " yellow bees." When 

 I next speak I should like to say something of candy 

 for bees, which I think you will find more beneficial 

 to your readers than the question of races. 



Chas. R. Mitchell. 



Hawkinsville, Qa., Aug. 8, 1882. 



Were it not for the clause, to the effect 

 that these bees were kept, and this peculi- 

 arity noticed, before Italians were brought 

 into this country, I fear I should be suspi- 



