424 



OLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



July 1 



this swarm of blacks; and cutting out the 

 queen-cells and drones once in a season 

 (loes the work, and that, no doubt, was a 

 factor in getting over 100 lbs. last season. 

 Oneco, Conn. 



THE ITALIAN VS. BLACK BEE. 



Italians Ahead of the Blacks in Most Points. 



BY GEO. SHIBER. 



I have read with much interest the article 

 on page 29(5, by Mr. I). M. Macdonald, of 

 Scotland, on the merits of the black bee. 

 Of course, we have read all these i)oints, pro 

 and con, in regard to the (Jerman bees in 

 years gone by, as all the journals have dis- 

 cussed them over and over again; so have 

 also the good and bad qualities of the Italian 

 bees been laid before us in the same way. 



To consider fairly which bee is best for us 

 of all the races, it is well to inquire what we 

 want them to do — to work them for extract- 

 ed or comb honey. If for extracted honey, 

 the white cappings of the blacks cut no fig- 

 ure; but we do want them to build up strong 

 and to be good honey-gatherers. Now, then, 

 that is about the whole of it, an<l also, I will 

 add, gentleness, which the Italians have. 

 They are not panicky under manipulation. 



T never saw a single black colony that was 

 not; and if they are smoked enough to sub- 

 due them so they can be handled as com- 

 f(trtablyas Italians they will be simply scar- 

 ed to death and i)ile out of the hive. 



Now for extracted honey. I have tried 

 them long enough to be satisfied that the 

 Italians have the blacks beaten by a long 

 sea mile; and, again, hybrids are away ahead 

 of black bees. I might say right here that 

 my exi)erience has been that the hybrids 

 are far superior to either race for comb hon- 

 ey; but for i)ounds of extracted honey the 

 three-banded Italians are entitle^l to the 

 palm. Mr. Macdonald says they are a 

 " soft " race there. I know there is a differ- 

 ence in them, of course. We shall find a 

 choice among the choice in every thing. 



This spring I bought three colonies of a 

 farmer, one of which was, I think, pure 

 black. Well, now, it was interesting to note, 

 on a cool morning when but few bees were 

 flying, the blacks would be the slowest to 

 come out of the hive. 



Oh, yes! if we had nothing but black bees 

 in this country we could still do business 

 "keeping bees," and we should have honey 

 to sell too; but would we enjoy handling them 

 as well? Of course, if the blacks went away 

 ahead of them, that would be another ques- 

 tion. 



WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPKN IF COMB HONEY IS SHIPPED WITHOUT BEING PROPERLY 



PACKED. 



