198 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUMIST. 



and replacing the cover of the hive, 

 but leaving the whole front entrance 

 open, we watched the result. In a 

 few moments the bees have their line 

 of battle spread over all the alight- 

 ing board extending down from the 

 floor of the portico quite to the 

 ground. The dying and the dead 

 are dragged out in large numbers. 

 Every robber that dares to alight 

 where this line of embattled Italians 

 is formed is attacked, and if he can- 

 not pull away is quickly killed. 

 The robbers soon understand the 

 changed condition of affairs and in 

 less than half an hour the attack 

 is over. 



Under such circumstances I never 

 contract the entrance. It annoys the 

 bees by making their hive too hot, 

 and with Italian bees is a useless 

 precaution. When such robbing as 

 I have described sets in, it is amus- 

 ing to see the robbers, when fairly 

 beaten off", spread themselves every- 

 where over the apiary. Wherever 

 they have tasted a drop of honey 

 that they have not gathered from the 

 fields, there they are hoping to find 

 more, and if there is a stock or nucleus 

 from which they have stolen any- 

 thing, they are there too. In short, 

 every colony large or small is put to 

 the proof and their ability to defend 

 their stores fully tested, but it is al- 

 most impossible to rob, when it is in 

 good heart even a small nucleus of 

 Italian bees. 



Need I say to those who have 

 had much experience with black 

 bees, what would have been the 

 fate of this colony if it had been 

 of that race, or how much a whole 

 apiary of such bees would have been 



demoraHzed by such an occur- 

 rence ? 



Let me now relate something which 

 took place about two weeks ago. In 

 examining a very strong stock which 

 had only a slight touch of Italian 

 blood, robbers soon made their ap- 

 pearance and the hive was closed 

 before the queen could be removed. 

 I say closed, but the upper cover 

 had not been properly adjusted ; there 

 was quite a corner left open. At- 

 tracted by the roar of bees, I found 

 that this large colony was being 

 robbed. The cowardly black blood 

 had not proved equal to the emer- 

 gency. When the cover was shut tight, 

 there was no line of battle formed, re- 

 sistance had ceased, and it was neces- 

 sary to close the entrance, cover the 

 whole hive with wet cloths, etc., in 

 order to save it. Of course the 

 robbers fell upon the other hives, 

 several of which were quite weak. 

 Some of these were pure Italians 

 and the others had enough of that 

 blood to make such a fierce resist- 

 ance that the robbers were soon 

 beaten off. They had tasted stolen 

 sweets, they were crazy with excite- 

 ment, and yet they could not rob an- 

 other hive ! 



If only a few of these stocks 

 are in or near to a large apiary 

 of Italian bees, you will ever find 

 them on hand when there is any 

 chance of stealing and at times when 

 scarcely an Italian gives you any an- 

 noyance. 



I do not deny that there are a few 

 points in which black bees have su- 

 perior merits, but their eagerness to 

 rob when forage is even a little scarce, 

 and their deficiency in pluck, by 



