THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



145 



THE PUNIC BEES. 



Probably there is no question at this 

 time that will please our readers more 

 than to lelate our experience with the 

 Punic bees. It is claimed that the Funics 

 are the hardiest race of bees known. 

 That this is true no one will doubt, when 

 they have read this article. Now the 

 following points clearly show that the 

 statement of hardiness is true. Not 

 far from 300 ycnnig Punic queens Iiave 

 been reared in our apiary since Aug. i. 

 It is well known that «?// our queen cells 

 are placed in nursery cages and the 

 queens allowed to hatch therein. A 

 good many of the cells from the Italians, 

 especially those in the lower corners of 

 • the nursery, will not hatch, as the tem- 

 perature is not quite high enough. All the 

 Punic cells were placed in nursery cages, 

 and not one cell in fifty failed to hatch. 

 I'his is one strong point in favor of the 

 hardiness of these bees. Again, many 

 of the Italians and a few of the Carni- 

 olan queens will die in the cages unless 

 soon introduced to nuclei after they 

 leave the cells. Not so with the Punic 

 queens, they can successfully resist 

 starvation, cold and ill treatment in most 

 any form. Punic queens can stand 

 confinement and privation longer than 

 any other race of bees known to us. 



All queen breeders are aware of one 

 bad feature which is more character- 

 istic of the Italians than any other race 

 of bees. Many of the virgin queens 

 are lost in the mating flight. There is 

 no such trouble with the Punics. Not 

 one virgin queen in fifty is lost. Bro. 

 Pratt had some unfertile Punic queens 

 confined in cages about twenty days. 

 They were then introduced, promptly 

 mated and commenced to lay at once. 

 While the Italians and Carniolans are 

 filling one comb with eggs, a Punic 

 queen will fill three the same size. 

 Every cell will have an egg in it. This 

 is not equalled by any (queens except 

 the Cyprians, and this was the only 

 good feature that race possessed. 



Now let us tell you about the worker 

 bees of the Punic race. They are black, 

 yet handsome. When a hive cover is 



lifted and the frames exposed of a full 

 colony of these bees, the first thought 

 is that some one has turned black ink 

 over the combs and frames, so black 

 are the bees. So much as to the color 

 of the Punics. All races of bees im- 

 poiled into this country have been 

 tested in the Bay State apiary, but none 

 have shown so much energy, push and 

 business qualities and promise so well 

 as the Punics. Although there are as 

 good colonies of yellow Carniolans and 

 Italians in our yard as can be found in 

 any apiary, we feel bound to say that 

 the Punic bees excel all others in work- 

 ing qualities, that we have tested. They 

 are now, Sept. 20, working on golden- 

 rod, and if our readers could see them 

 go out of and return to the hive, they 

 would not doubt this statement as to 

 their working qualities. 



Now let us tell you wherein the Punic 

 worker bees differ from all other races. 

 You all have stood beside a hive of 

 bees and watched them go out and in 

 when gathering honey smartly. The 

 Italians and other races on returning 

 fromthe field usually land at the end of 

 the alighting board and walk to the en- 

 trance and enter at a moderate pace. 

 The Punics do nothing of the kind. 

 When they return from the field they 

 light exactly at the entrance, just the 

 same as they would be obliged to do 

 were there no alighting-board to the 

 hive. As soon as they reach the hive 

 they are in as quick as a flash. One 

 must look sharply in order to see 

 whether they are carrying honey or pol- 

 len. 



When the workers come out of the 

 hive to go to the fields, they do not run 

 the entire length of the front board and 

 then jump off as all other races of bees 

 do. The moment they put their heads 

 out of the entrance they are on the 

 wing, and off to the fields. The Punic 

 bees do not want a front board to their 

 hive to land on when they go out and 

 in. This is very peculiar in them. 



The Punics are so decidedly different 

 in all their characteristics from all other 

 races, a person unacquainted with bees 



