THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



133 



[For tho American IJee Journal.] 



Purity of Italian Bees. 



Editor Bee Journal: — A few days ago I 

 received the December number of the Journal, 

 and was miicli pleased to find that men like 

 Prof. Varro take the trouble of publicly censur- 

 ing my report about native pure Italian bees, 

 contained in my letter addressed to you from 

 Bellinzona. Now I wish that the Professor, as 

 Avell as the other kind readers of the Journal, 

 would re-read the article on purity of Italian 

 bees in page 19, Vol. 3, of the Bee Journal, 

 (line six from the top), where he speaks of 

 Italian bees in their native purity. If he says, 

 speaking of native pure queens, that they are 

 brown with a black dot or two upon their body; 

 and speaking of an exclusive reliable test of 

 purity in Italian queens, that impeccability of 

 temper in their worker progeny, in addition to 

 their distinctive three yellow bands, by which 

 they are known in Italy and Switzerland, con- 

 stitutes that test; and that Jie han bees that will 

 not stiiiff, even if the frames in their hives are 

 smashed down, he surely defines pure Italian 

 queens and bees that are more than native pure. 

 As he tells such a straightforward story, and 

 his testimonv is nowhere impeached, I am 

 forced to believe him, right or wrong. But I am 

 at a loss to know what good result bee-keepers 

 would derive from such a test of purity, so long 

 as no breeder of Italian bees ever claimed that 

 he had any or has advertised any such queens 

 or bees for sale, while the Professor refuses to 

 sell any at any price that might be named. But 

 the Professor changes his ground in his article 

 in the Bee Journal, Vol. 3, page 116, column 

 2 — speaking there of a fragmental dash of im- 

 purity in native Italian bees, claiming that some 

 black bees there, as well as here and elsewhere, 

 do make their appearance simultaneously with 

 three-banded, two-banded and one-banded bees, 

 in one and the same hive; and calling in to his 

 assistance the testimony of a gentleman he has 

 been acquainted from his youth. Now I wish 

 the learned Professor wotild once more read my 

 report, to see whether I had noticed any of 

 these black bees and my opinion about them — 

 beginning at page 95, column 1, line 23 from 

 the bottom. Those bees which a superficial or 

 inexperienced observer would have taken for 

 common black bees, are bj' no means of the com- 

 mon black breed of bees. On careful examination 

 they show three ftrown. bauds, instead of the yel- 

 low ones of the other bees. Two days after send- 

 ing off my letter from Bellinzona, I found a col- 

 ony, one half of whose workers were thus brown 

 banded, but they were not black bees; and I 

 must further add that those bees were not all 

 old ones, as I previously supposed, but young 

 ones just hatched, intermingled with old ones; 

 nor was this surprising to me. I had noticed, 

 during my crossing the Alps, a dilferent breed 

 of sheep from any that I had seen in my neigh- 

 borhood in America, (I am no sheep breeder), 

 and noticed in some large flocks of white seve- 

 ral brown sheep. Shall we, for this reason, con- 

 clude that this breed is not pure, since it is not 

 constant in color? 



When I went to Italy, I had the impression 

 that I would find there at least a few hives of 

 the common variety of bees, but I did not, 

 though visiting about twenty-five different apia- 

 I'JL'S. After iill, I would not assume the respon- 

 sibility to say that no black bees, whole colonies 

 or single bees, are to be found in all Italy. But 

 I was satisfied in my mind that Mona's bees 

 answered the definition of pure Italian bees laid 

 down by most of the German and by one Eng- 

 lish writer on Italian bees. For instance, Rev. 

 Mr. Dzierzon answered my question put to him 

 in a letter, regarding what constitutes the prin- 

 cipal points of superiority in Italian bees, thus: 

 "They are more docile and more industrious 

 than the black bees. They defend themselves 

 better against robbers." Rev. Mr. Kleine, on 

 page 199 of this book on bee culture, second 

 edition, 18G4, says: '-The first three rings of the 

 worker bees are yellow-colored, but black edged. 

 While yet young their color is lighter, but 

 grows darker with advancing age. The drones 

 are darker-ringed than the workers, though not 

 differing in size from German drones. The 

 queens are sometimes lighter, sometimes dark- 

 er-colored. The lighter golden colored they 

 are, the higher they arc esteemed." Dathe in 

 his pamphlet iormerly referred to, says: "Of 

 the six abdominal rings of the worker bees, the 

 first two are orange yellow-colored; the third 

 one is, according to greater or less degree of 

 purity, more or loss orange-colored or whitish; 

 the next two rings are whitish, the edgings as 

 well as the point of the abdomen are black. The 

 drones partly have very narrow yellow rings, 

 and are not unlike the German drones; partly 

 they have a great deal of yellow." The most 

 differently colored aie the queens. The best 

 ones are yellow to the tip of the tail (splendid 

 specimens); others are less yellow, and others 

 still are perfectly dark. ' ' Describing the points 

 of superiority, he says: "The Italian differs 

 from the common bee in less irascibility, and 

 though she can sting as well as the German 

 bee, she is far milder, not only when not dis- 

 turbed, but also during ordinary operations." 

 Mr. Neighbor in his work "The Apiary," Lon- 

 don, 1860, in the chapter on Ligurian on Italian 

 bees, page 200, he says: "Their special advant- 

 ages are greater fecundity of the queens, less 

 irascibility, and a more handsome appearance." 

 Prof. Varro says as far as impeccability of 

 temper is concerned, in Europe, my test con- 

 stitutes the rule, and not the exception. Now 

 it will be observed that none of the distinguished 

 wi iters here quoted, claims that the Italian 

 bees do not sting. They simply claim that 

 Italian bees are more docile than common or 

 German bees. I should be much pleased if 

 Prof. Varro would state how he became aware 

 of this European test of puritj\ I would also 

 ask those bee keepers who have the first volume 

 of the Bee Journal, to read page 62; and I 

 think it would conduce much towards elucidat- 

 ing this point, if the editor would republish that 

 portion of Kleiue's articles on Italian bees. 



It further seems to me that Prof. Varro lays 

 undue weight on the fact that queens are bought 

 up in Italy by perambulating agents of foreign 

 exporters, from ignorant peasants for many 



