160 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



Correspondence. 



The color of Italian queens. 

 Mrs. G. U. Baker. 



It seems then, to an amateur, that 

 while a bright, golden yellow color is 

 substantial proof that a queen is a 

 pure bred Italian, like those from the 

 Bay State Apiary, yet she may be 

 equally pure, even though she shades 

 off into a dark color as you approach 

 the rear of Ihe abdomen. At least, that 

 is what we infer from reading the ar- 

 ticle in GlecDiings, here referred to ; 

 because it is not for a moment sup- 

 posable that the manager of that jour- 

 nal would allow a hybrid, or anything 

 else other than purely bred and proper- 

 ly mated queens, to go from his apiary 

 as pure Italian. Is this inference 

 right? Is it only the bright yellow 

 specimens that are pure, and if so, 

 why are their sisters from cells cut 

 from the same frame, same hive, same 

 queen's eg<:s, and grown in same nur- 

 sery hatching at same time, not all 

 equally bright? Are they not equally 

 pure? If not, in wiiat respect do they 

 flitier — other than color — and what is 

 the cause of it? We profess to breed 

 only pure Italians and to that end, 

 have never allowed a queen in the api- 

 ary that did not come direct from the 

 Bay State Apiary, or reared by us 

 and fertilized by drones from a queen 

 got from there the same season, tlnis 

 avoiding in breeding, and 3'et while 

 we raise many just as handsome and 

 large and perfect in every lot in a 

 nursery we will find now and then 

 one that shades off darker at the end, 

 sometimes most black. Now, I don't 

 believe there is a colony of black bees 

 within fifty miles — there are no black 

 drones for the queens to meet. Why 

 then this difference in color of the 

 young queens ? We get but few shaded 

 ones and those we kill as soon as 

 hatched. If the dark shaded ones 

 aren't Italians, what are they? We 

 shall certainly be thankful if you or 

 anyone can explain this. At any rate 



our experience don't seem to be ex- 

 ceptional. We raise three times as 

 many queens as we use. yet never have 

 sold any or tried to sell ; butdoitsoas 

 to have plenty to select from for our 

 own use, and sometimes it is difficult 

 to make the selection. It seems too 

 bad to kill some of them. 



In looking over our files of bee lit- 

 erature we are struck with the amount 

 of work which should be done at "'sun- 

 down " and just before. And now 

 you state virgin queens should only 

 be introduced then. We have never 

 had any trouble in doing it at any 

 time of the day; in fact, if the bees 

 are working smart and honey plenty, 

 prefer the middle of the day. It would 

 lake a modern Joshua to hold the sun 

 up long enough to do a fraction of the 

 work laid down for about sundown. 

 Evidently from your recapitulation 

 your tune is toleral)ly well occupied. 

 Does it all have to be done " about 

 sundown ?" " Call and see us" is 

 goo<l. Could'nt you take in a little 

 civil engineering, or piece up a crazy 

 quilt, or teacli a kindergarten class? 

 The father of all mischief could'nt 

 abide in your ''Neck 'o timber." 

 Natick, Mass. 



Mrs. Baker is getting rather funny. 

 We like it, and must say that we al- 

 ways enjoy a good, practical joke and 

 a funny thrust when aimed at the ed- 

 itor. Don't be afraid that we shall 

 get mad even if you hit us quite hard 

 — provided you are only joking. 



Now to business. Mrs. B. does 

 not seem to understand that the Ital- 

 ians are not a fixed race of bees. She 

 seems to think that the true Italians 

 should produce all yellow queens and 

 bees. It is not olten that a yellow 

 Italian queen can be found that will 

 duplicate herself every time in the 

 color of her daughters. Queens that 

 will do it are the exception and not 

 the rule. 



A queen that produces the most 

 beautiful worker bees will not produce 

 all beautiful golden queens. 



