Vol. XVIII. 



OCT. 1, 1890. 



No. 19. 



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SOME aUESTIONS IN REGARD TO CYPRIANS 

 AND SYRIANS. 



KXl'KKIKNCK IX KKC.Vlil) TO 

 FI.KtHT IX THE WIXTKK TIMi;. 



DOOLITILK S 

 CLKAXSIX(. 



Several {japstions have bp.Pii sent in for inc to 

 auswpi': and as the most, of tlicm arc appro- 

 priatp for tliis tinip of year. I uill. with your 

 pci-mission. Mr. Editor, answer tliem througli 

 the columns of (ii,KAXiX(is. tuiswerins tliem by 

 I ui in ber. 



1. "Can Cyprian and Syrian liees he distin- 

 guislied. by their color or inai'king><. from tlie 

 Italian bee or from each other?" 



Well, that depends whether the asker of the 

 <luestion is e\i)ert in detecting nice colorings: 

 whether he is a close observer, and whether he 

 lias had large experience with the different 

 races named. The claim was originally put 

 forth, that the Cyprian lieehad a shield between 

 its wings, of the same color as the golden hands 

 on the abdomen, and that, as no other hee had 

 this shield, it was therefore easy to distinguish 

 the Cyprian race from that of any other. How- 

 ever, it was soon found out that the best sijeci- 

 mens of Italians showed this shield fully as 

 l)laiiily as do the Cyprians, so that claim went 

 for naught. Candidly. I do not know that I 

 could tell a Ix'ginner how he could tell these 

 races of l)ees apart, were there nothing but the 

 coloring of each to go by. The yellow on 

 the Syrian is of a little darker or duller 

 shade than that of the Italian, while the 

 same color on the Cypi'ians is of a brighter 

 orange than that of the Italian, and much 

 more so than that of the Syrian. This 1 say of 

 them in their purity — not when they are con- 

 siderably mixed with "' blood " from each other, 

 as is (piite apt to be the case. When tiins 

 mixed, tiie best authorities are so hadU' i>u/.y.led 

 that it is no wonder the above (piestion was 

 asked by one not thoroughly ijostcd. 



:.'. "Do the Cyprians and Syrians rear more 



hrood than tiie Italians?" 



Yes. as a general rule they do. The Cyprians. 

 in my oinnion, would be an acquisition, were it 

 not for their vindictiveness, which is so great 

 that it can not be tolerated. They commence 

 breeding more profusely, early, than any other 

 bee with which I am ac(iuainted. thus getting 

 many bees on the stage of action just in the 

 right time for the white-clover honey harvest: 

 w hile \\ hen the harvest is w(dl under way they 

 rear no more brood, to become useless consum- 

 ers, than do the Italians. I never parted with 

 anv thing in the bee line with more i-eluctance 

 than I did with the Cyi)iian bee. The Syrians 

 are verv ditt'erent in this locality, regarding 

 brood-rearing, from either the Cyprians or the 

 Italians. They do not begin I'earing brood to 

 much more than supply the waste of the hive 

 till tlie lioney harvest c()mmenc(\s. when they 

 go to brood-rearing on the most extensive scale, 

 this brood consuming the larger pai't of the 

 honev gathered by the few bees they iiave at 

 th(> beginning of the harvest: wiiile this hrood. 

 after it has hatched into l)ees. becomes a con- 

 sumer of the little hon(\v they did not consume 

 while in the brood form. I had from two to six 

 Syrian colonies of hees for four years, and each 

 fall I had to give them nearly. all of their win- 

 ter stores in the shape of frames of sealed hon- 

 ev taken from my Italian colonies. During 

 tills time I succeeded in taking about .">() li)s. of 

 inferior coml) honey from them. Of all the 

 bees I ever had in my ai)iary. the Syri:nis 

 jjroved much the poorest. vSome speak well of 

 them, and I thiid< that they might ijrove better 

 than with me where the season is of long dura- 

 tion for honey. 



'.\. "Some say that bees need a cleansing 

 flight where wiiitcred in the cellar: others say 

 that such a flight is unnecessary. Which is 

 right? I do not wish to carry mine from the 

 cellar till time to .set them out for good, unless 

 it is actually neci'ssary." 



It used to be thought. i>y nearly all. that hees 

 should tie carried fi'om the cellar on pleasant 



