April, 1915. 



123 



I^American Bag JoarnaJJ 



going, when I would otherwise have 

 failed. 



In the most favored locations in 

 Florida I have hundreds of colonies of 

 pure Italian bees, but I am frank to 

 admit they have never given me such 

 returns as do Caucasians, and general 

 results are very unsatisfactory, and as 



early as possible we will replace them 

 with Caucasians. It takes an expert 

 apiarist to care for 200 colonies of Ital- 

 ian bees, feeding them and building up. 

 But one man can take care of GOO colo- 

 nies of Caucasian bees, for they are 

 strong and heavy, and stay together 

 during the harvest. 



Notes From ^ Ab r oad 



By C. p. Dadant. 



Ancona, a seaport on the Adriatic, is 

 one of the oldest cities of Italy, having 

 been founded some 400 years before 

 the Christian era. It is located in a 

 pretty valley as well as on the hills on 

 both sides. The old part of the city is 

 on a very steep hillside, with narrow 

 streets, paved with cobblestones. But 

 the modern part is very pretty, and the 

 streets are wide. The vicinity is beauti- 

 ful ; there are so many fine residences, 

 and the country is so well cultivated 

 that it seems a fairy land 



Our first visit was to the offices 

 of the Italian Apiarian Federation, of 

 which our young friend Mr. Cotini is 

 manager. So we will give you an in- 

 troduction into this organization. 



The federation was established in 

 1904 with 72 members. Its purpose 

 was to handle and sell the honey of the 

 beekeepers. For a few years its shares 

 of stock were of only $2.00 each. In 

 1909 they increased the stock price to 

 $10, payable $1.00 each year. They had, 

 at the end of the year 1913, 590 mem- 

 bers, and handled $682,000 worth of 

 honey. They have large producers 

 among their members. One of those 

 whom I m ;t was said to own over 1000 

 colonies of bees. This is a very large 

 number for a country as thickly popu- 

 lated as Italy. They supply their mem- 

 bers with tin boxes similar to our 60- 



pound cans, but holding 50 kilos or 110 

 pounds each. The cost of these pack- 

 ages is a trifle over 3 francs, or 60 cents 

 each. Some honey is exported into 

 Germany, Belgium, France, Austria 

 and Switzerland. 



This association publishes a maga- 

 zine or "bulletin," entitled " L'Apicol- 

 tura Italiana," with an experienced 

 apiarist at its head. Dr. Colantoni. The 

 main styles of movable frame hives 

 used by the members are the " Marchi- 

 giana," a deep frame hive, and the Da- 

 dant. As in the other countries visited 

 by us, extracted honey is the principal 

 crop. 



After a short meeting of beekeepers, 

 we gathered into the small public park 

 and a photograph of those present was 

 taken. Then came a banquet at our 

 hotel. After the banquet automobiles 

 were brought forward for a visit to 

 beekeepers. Dr. Colantoni, the editor 

 of the journal, has his home and apiary 

 some 7 or 8 miles in the country. It 

 was a beautiful ride, among olive 

 trees, fig trees, and other warm coun- 

 try products. The sainfoin is here 

 also, one of the principal honey re- 

 sources. 



At Dr. Colantoni's we met more bee- 

 keepers. But most of them spoke only 

 Italian, and though I made strenuous 

 efforts to understand t'lem, I succeeded 



little. They spoke so fast! Wife had 

 been kindly provided with an interpre- 

 ter and cicerone, Mrs. Bazzano, a lady 

 who spoke French and English, as well 

 as Italian, and who volunteered to stay 

 with her during the entire day. She 

 very kindly accompanied us wherever 

 we went. 



One of the apiarists assured me that 

 the famous May disease (paralysis) was 



Prof. Attilio Cotini. 

 Manager of the Beekeepers' Federation 



present in his vicinity most of the 

 time, and that he had some instances 

 of it in his apiary at that time, Sept. 12. 

 We looked among Dr. Colantoni's 

 bees, and found a few apparently crip- 

 pled in front of the hives. He asserted 

 that these were diseased. Yet they had 

 none of the usual symptoms, distended 

 abdomen and hairless appearance. 

 Here as elsewhere, the May disease 

 was charged to inferior or moldy pol- 

 len, though a few believed it due to 



THE DEATHS-HEAD MOTH-(Actual size) 



