AL\RCH 1, 1915 



181 



Conversations with Doolittle 



IUKKKKKNT FEATUKKS TO BREED FOR 



'' I have been thinking about 

 ])ieedinji' bees for certain purposes. 

 As the flora of our country is not 

 the same everywhere, should not 

 each locality breed strains of bees 

 Avhich are not only adapted to the 

 climate, but also adapted to the llora of that 

 section?" 



This is something I think I have never 

 heard spoken of or written about. I know 

 that one stiain of strawberry-plants will do 

 well in a certain locality, yet be of little 

 value in another, and that there are very 

 few which are adapted to all sections of 

 Xoi'th America. Therefore the wise small- 

 fruit raiser will te,st the different varieties 

 till he finds those which thrive to perfection 

 in his immediate vicinity. I am alsa aware 

 that the Italian bees will prove successful 

 in times of certain bloom which the blacks 

 consider hardly worth noticing, while on 

 both clover and basswood bloom there seems 

 little difference in favor of either. Quite a 

 few seem to think that the blacks are supe- 

 i-ior in buckwheat bloom; but after a care- 

 ful watching, covering a long term of years, 

 I fail to see any material difference. Then 

 there seems to be a difference in different 

 colonics in the. same localitj^ as to a success- 

 ful outcome at the end of the season; but 

 the question is, Avhether a strain of bees 

 reared and bred for central New York, to 

 as near perfection as possible, would prove 

 less perfect in their nectar gathering in 

 Iowa or California. This is something re- 

 garding which beekeepers have rarely if 

 ever expressed an opinion. Is there a read- 

 er who can give us any light? 



" If we are to develop hardiness in our 

 bees, can we of the North afford to use 

 imported or southern-bred cjueens?" 



This has often been asked me by corre- 

 spondents. I do not think I have ever writ- 

 ten on this for publication, as I did not wish 

 to say any thing that might injure our 

 southern queen-breeders or throw " cold 

 water " on those who consider imported 

 stock superior to queens we already have in 

 this countiy. It is one of the laws of nature 

 that, the further north or south of the 

 equator any animal or plant can live, the 

 tougher and hardier it becomes. Bees are 

 no exception to this rule. Years ago, before 

 I practiced cellar wintering, I found that 

 both imported stock and that reared in the 

 extreme southern portion of the United 



States would be affected by dysentery two 

 to four weeks sooner, in a long cold winter, 

 than would that reared in our rigorous cli- 

 mate for a term of years. But when it came 

 to cellar wintering (my custom for the past 

 thirty years) I could see little difference. 



" Which is better to breed from — thor- 

 oughbred or crossbred stock? Is not the 

 thoroughbred liable to be bred 'in-and-in' 

 till the strain weakens?" 



^Vhen bees are crossbred to improve the 

 stock, there is no way of knowing if the 

 crosses are i^ure or not ; and new blood could 

 be infused into them without its being 

 known and to their injury. This objection 

 is insurmountable unless some way can be 

 found to fertilize the queens other than the 

 natural way. By cross-breeding we are just 

 as likely to get the bad qualities of both 

 breeds in the cross as to get the good ones. 

 If I am right, the general imi^rovements in 

 our bees which so far have been made have 

 been attained by taking one variety and 

 improving it by selection, without any cross- 

 breeding whatever. In this way different 

 strains of honeybees can be produced with 

 one or more features. Thus one strain could 

 be produced especially to secure extracted 

 honey — mere honey-gathering its particular 

 feature. Another strain could be produced 

 that would also have comb-building as a 

 special feature. This would be the one for 

 the comb-honey producer, especially if white 

 capping of combs could be added. Breeders 

 have Avorked along this line so that there are 

 Italian colonies now in the United States 

 that cap their section honey very nearly if 

 not quite as white as do black bees. Such 

 breeding does not seem to injure them. 



" How about beauty ? I admire beauty ; 

 but would not wish it to the detriment of 

 other qualities." 



Although beauty is not one of the most 

 important qualities of a bee, I have noted 

 during the past quarter of a century that 

 nineteen out of every twenty persons, no 

 matter whether they prefer the dark Italians 

 or not, will stop before a colony of golden 

 Italian bees and express their pleasure. 

 Beauty is an important factor in human 

 enjoyment. This world was created in 

 beauty. We see the firmament arched with 

 the i-ainbow of beauty, and at night the 

 heavens are decked with " starry gems " of 

 beauty. The beekeeper who appreciates 

 beauty in his apiary is generally the suc- 

 cessful apiarist. 



