272 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



man here in Mass. A man in Waltliam, 20 

 miles from liere, died on Friday, July 13th. 

 He was bitten about a month ago in the 

 nose by a small dog that he gave his son. 

 ,H. Alley. 

 Wenham, Mass., July 16, 1877. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Italian and Black Bees. 



1 read with much interest on page 237, 

 July number of the Jouknal, an article by 

 W. S. Porter on the relative merits of 

 Italian and black bees. I like Porter's can- 

 dor and frankness, and also his motto — 

 "Let the truth come even if it does sear and 

 burn, etc." 



I agree with him in much, but disagree 

 with him in the main point. 1 give him the 

 blacks and keep the Italians. He says he 

 has had considerable experience with black 

 and Italian bees for the last 5 years, but 

 only had an opportunity to give them a fair 

 test during the last 2 years. I can say a 

 little more than that. I have had experi- 

 ence with black bees for the last 30 years, 

 and with the Italians for the last 11; and 

 close experience with both for the last 10 

 years. I had both, for 3 years, side by side 

 m my own yard; but for the last 8 years I 

 only had the Italians in my own yard, but 

 had at same time the care of several apiar- 

 ies of blacks from 3 to 5 miles around. And 

 from all my long experience I will try to 

 show in what points I agree with the above 

 writer. 



1st— I agree that the blacks are better to 

 store in boxes; that they are stronger in 

 the spring, and are not so liable to be re- 

 duced by spring dwindling. 



In the following points he will not agree 

 with me: 1. The Italians ai'e hardier. 2. 

 They winter better. 3. They work earlier 

 and later. 4. They are less inclined to rob. 

 5. They are moth proof, or nearly so. 6. 

 They resist robbers better, and are far less 

 apt to rob other hives. 7. The queens are 

 readily found. 8. And they adhere to their 

 combs more firmly. 9. They are more 

 amiable, and no cowards. 



As to the 1st and 2d points, I have winter- 

 ed swarms of Italians so suuxil that 1 would 

 never think of wintering if they were 

 blacks, as my past experience had told me. 

 I have frequently had a queen with a pint 

 of bees in March and April to build up into 

 strong stands and swarm by June 1st, while 

 I ever hardly had that quantity of blacks to 

 build up at all. 



As to the 3d, my Italians are in the field 

 before I am up, so I cannot tell when they 

 commenced, and from this you need not 

 draw the inference that I am a late riser, 

 for I can't afford it, but will say that I 

 never caught my blacks at work before I 

 was up. The Italians came in as late as 

 7:30, at this time, so late I could no longer 

 see to read without a candle. I never 

 caught my blacks at this either. 



As to the 4th, I am never troubled with 

 robbers in my own apiary, as the blacks 

 are at least 2 miles from me; but while I 

 had blacks and Italians ray trouble from 

 this source was great, frequently loosing a 

 good many stands by it. 



As to the 5th, my first few years with 

 blacks was enough to discourage any bee- 

 man to loose so many with moth. The 

 second year reduced me to a single stand 



by moth. The weakest Italians can with- 

 stand the moth. With Italians bid farewell 

 to moths and robbers. 



As to the Italians being more prolific, I 

 am not sure of this, but I have had them fly 

 out in winter and freeze by the hundred, 

 while not a black bee would come to the 

 entrance of its hive. On this point I praise 

 the blacks as being more prudent. The 

 Italians will venture out in an atmosphere 

 that is certain to chill them to death; this 

 accounts for their weakness in spring. I 

 have said that blacks are better to store in 

 boxes, but the Italians will store twice as 

 much if you will give them plenty of room 

 inside the hive, or use the extractor con- 

 stantly. I will hear say that, without the 

 extractor I would not keep Italians, from 

 the fact they would store so much inside as 

 to leave the queen no room to rear brood, 

 and make it sure death to them in winter. I 

 have lost many hives this way. 



The main recommendation of the Italians 

 is, that we sometimes have such poor sea- 

 sons that blacks can hardly live, but as long 

 as there is honey to be gatliered within two 

 miles the Italians will gather it. Now, a 

 great many "dollar and cent" interest breed- 

 ers of Italians, as well as many more who 

 have no interest in their sale, will bear me 

 out that the Italians frequently make 

 enough to winter on in a poor season, while 

 the blacks have to be ted to keep them 

 alive. 



The above is my truthful experience, un- 

 influenced by any intei-ested motives in the 

 Italian bee. The price of tested queens 

 being brought down to ^3, and $1 queens. I 

 see no profit at tiiese prices, but I see as 

 much profit in raising 5?1 queens as tested 

 ones at $'B. I am not raising any for sale 

 this year, but still fill orders to old custom- 

 ers, though I know there is no profit at 

 these figures, unless one runs his whole 

 apiary for queen raising and sells as fast as 

 he can rear. One of our best and most 

 noted queen-raisers said, in answer to the 

 question why he had quit rearing queens, 

 that every tested queen he sold cost him 

 full igo, and as that was all he could get he 

 had quit, as he could not afford to sell at 

 cost. This same man tried $1 queens the 

 last year; gave that up also as a losing busi- 

 ness. Those breeders who sell tested 

 queens at S3, only get from Sc. to 13c. per Ifc 

 for their honey, while I get3()c. So you see 

 my profit is honey not queens; and if I 

 thought I would do as well with the blacks 

 I would never pester myself with the 

 Italians. 



I will here give friend Porter a hint, as he 

 thinks the blacks so much more profitable, 

 he should introduce new black brood and so 

 improve them. Let him exchange queens 

 with friend Bingham, or Ileddon, and if he 

 will send me his address, I will send him 

 some free of charge, if I introduce any more 

 Italians for my neighbors this fall. 



R. M. Argo. 



Lowell, Ky., July 17, 1877. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Longevity of the Honey Bee. 



What I am about to write will not appear 

 strange to those of your readers who have 

 kept bees for any length of time, but as 

 many persons express much surprise when 

 told that the life of a bee is only about five 



