208 



AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



Cyprians have two other very desirable qualities. They 

 stand the cold of winter well, and stoutly defend their 

 hives against robber bees and other enemies. 



The Italian is another good bee. This variety was 

 imported into the United States in 1 860. While the yield 



from the Italian is 

 somewhat less than 

 from the Cyprian, 

 the Italian bees 

 produce a whiter 

 comb and are a trifle 

 more manageable. 



The common 

 black or brown bee 

 is found wild and 

 domesticated 

 throughout the 

 country. When 

 honey material is abundant, these bees equal the Italians 

 in honey production; but, when the season is poor, they 

 fall far short in the amount of honey produced. 



The purchase of a good Cyprian or Italian hive will 

 richly repay the buyer. This colony will cost more at the 

 outset than an ordinary colony, but will soon pay for its 

 higher cost by greater production. 



A beehive in the spring contains one queen, several 

 hundred drones, and from thirty-five to forty thousand 

 workers. The duty of the queen is to lay all the eggs 

 that are to hatch the future bees. This she does with 

 proverbial industry, often laying as many as four thou- 

 sand in twenty-four hours. 



FIG. 190. A CARNIOLAN DRONE 



From a drawing furnished by the United States 



Department of Agriculture 



