508 



GLEANINGS IN REE CULTURE. 



June 



upon t lie bees. Instead of quieting them 

 down it caused them to lly into the air like 

 a little swarm. From the frames lifted out, 

 the bees ran down, and hung in little balls, 

 and in the hive they were running about in 

 wild commotion. I was almost positive 

 they were black bees ; but Neighbor II. as- 

 sured me with all confidence that those bees 

 were the progeny of the very same queen I 

 had given him to test. They resembled very 

 much the Carniolans we had had on a for- 

 mer occasion, which were imported. They 

 were pretty cross, and I got one or two quite 

 severe stings. If I were to judge the Car- 

 niolans by this colony alone, I should say 

 that, when they do sting, they sting with a 

 vengeance. To tell the truth, I wanted to be 

 favorably impressed with the Carniolans, 

 and I do not know but I should like to be so 

 impressed now. One quite serious ob- 

 jection, however, and one that has been 

 mentioned before, is, that if there were 

 black bees in the vicinity in which they were 

 reared, it would be almost impossible to de- 

 tect the crosses, except, perhaps, by their 

 behavior. In fact, from what I have heard 

 in general from the Carniolans, I should be 

 inclined to believe that the colony above 

 mentioned, instead of being pure, is a cross 

 of the black bees. If such is the case, then 

 even the breeder himself may be easily de- 

 ceived. How is he to know, then, whether 

 he has bred the race in its purity, if he de- 

 pends upon mere looks ? This report of the 

 Carniolans applies only to the one colony in 

 question. I hope further trials will give me 

 a better impression. 



IMPORTED ITALIANS. 



Perhaps I should say right here, that 

 Neighbor II. said he had an imported Ital- 

 ian colony that had got their hive crammed 

 full of honey, when other colonies were on 

 the verge of starvation. In fact, he intimat- 

 ed that she was a better queen than the 

 Honey Queen I mentioned in last Glean- 

 ings. While there I requested that he 

 would not show me the imported queen, add- 

 ing that I wanted to see if I could discov- 

 er the colony in question by the peculiar 

 energy at the entrance. Not being ac- 

 quainted with the apiary, I did not know 

 where this or that queen was. We 1 oked 

 at a number of colonies, and finally I ven- 

 tured to remark, rather cautiously, " Is 

 that the imported queen?" 



" That is the one,' 1 he said. " Now,' 1 

 said he, '■ lay your smoker down : pull it 

 open as roughly as you please." 



I did so, and every thing was perfectly 

 quiet I pulled out comb after comb, and 

 there was not the slightest demonstration 

 of any hostility on the part of the bees. Yes, 

 it was true that there was a great deal of 

 honey in the hive. 



•' Don't you sell that queen," said I. 

 '• Keep her for raising queens. A queen 

 whose progeny is gentle and exceptionally 

 good workers, is worth something.'" 



Neighbor H. has alr3ady got cells under 

 wav from her. 



While I was looking over the bees, we 

 came across one other imported queen. Her 

 bees were just as gentle, and were doing 

 nearly as well as the first one we examined, 



I told Neighbor II. that he had better keep 

 that one too. The more I examined the 

 apiary, the more I became convinced that 

 the imported queens were doing the best. 

 They were certainly the gentlest. 



Some weeks ago, Mr. Spafford incidental- 

 ly remarked that the colonies having im- 

 ported queens were doing the best on apple- 

 blossoms. 



" Yes," I said, " I have noticed the same 

 thing before. They are not only the gen- 

 tlest bees we handle, but are just as good, 

 and very many times a little better honey- 

 gatherers." As I have before said in this 

 department, I now repeat again, there 

 is something in the climatic conditions of 

 Italy that produces a hardy, gentle, and in- 

 dustrious race of bees. The bees of the im- 

 ported Italian colonies are, as a rule, leath- 

 er-colored. I have also noticed that the 

 very light Italians— those that looked real 

 pretty, such as bee-keepers like to exhibit at 

 fairs and elsewhere, are not the bees for real 

 business. 



THAT HONEY C^UEEN. 



That tk honey queen " in the basswood or- 

 chard, mentioned in our last issue, is still 

 doing well. Although very yellow herself, 

 her bees are quite dark, leather-colored Ital- 

 ians. While the other colonies have re- 

 quired constant feeding, these bees have 

 kept their brood-nest pretty well supplied 

 with natural stores ; but unlike the import- 

 ed colonies referred to, they are pretty cross. 

 The first time I opened them up and hauled 

 them over, I got a good severe stinging, aud 

 I was heartily glad when I closed them up 

 again. By the use of plenty of smoke I find 

 since that I can handle them quite easily, 

 but they will not tolerate even then very 

 many unnecessary jars. 



" HAS HE AN AX TO GltlNDV" 



As I read down this report, I have been 

 wondering whether some good brother 

 might not add, " Has he an ax to grind?" 

 Well, I admit that it looks a little so ; but I 

 have tried to be candid, irrespective of the 

 aforesaid "ax." If I can not state a thing 

 honestly, for fear that somebody will say 

 that " he has got an ax to grind," then I am 

 in a poor plight indeed. If the Carniolans 

 are a desirable race (and they may prove to 

 be such), then we can sell them just as well 

 as the imported Italians. 



LATE II. 



June 11. — Since yesterday I notice that the 

 bees are beginning to make their combs 

 bulge a little, and white-clover honey is at 

 last coming in. The weaker colonies do 

 not show very much new nectir. The 

 stronger colonies have gathered enough to 

 rill their brood-nest to perhaps two-thirds or 

 three-fourths of their capacity. It is a lit- 

 tle cooler to-day, and bees are not flying to 

 the extent they were yesterday. Rain and 

 cloudy weather seems to be the order of the 

 day, with a little sprinkling of sunshine 

 now and then. If this order were reversed, 

 we should have a good flow of honey, I 

 think. All the conditions are supplied ex- 

 cept sunshine and hot weather. 



This afternoon the sky has cleared up and 

 it is warmer. AVe hope for the best. 



