19U(> 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



for me to hear, what a genuine pleasure 

 it would be to "dish up" all the pretty 

 and interesting subjects that fall in the 

 way of a traveling bee-keeping editor. But 

 this time 1 determined to gratify the in- 



clination and turned my camera upon 

 the lone "cabbage"' that stood for Indian 

 river, hud "stood" so well out into its 

 waters that its roots were twice each day 

 bathed by the flowing tides. 



Fort Pierce, Fla., Dec. 20, 1S99. 



From (i/eaiiiugs in Bee Culture. 



KIVH-BANDED BEES. 



Question. — Are Golden Italians what 

 are called by some people five banded 

 bees? 



Answer.— The worker bees from an 

 imported queen direct from Italy show 

 two colors on the abdomen, next to the 

 thorax. That on each segment nearest 

 the thorax is of a leather color, and that 

 farthest from the thorax being of a brown- 

 ish-black color. This gave birth to the 

 expression, "three-banded bees. " As the 

 breeding toward the yellow progressed, 

 some individual workers were found hav- 

 ing a very narrow stripe of yellow on the 

 fourth segment of the abdomen, and 

 with this stripe came the contention that 

 the Italian was not a pure race of bees 

 but a mongrel or thoroughbred, as the 

 question arose regarding this fourth band 

 thus: "If bees showing three bands are 

 pure, what are those showing j-ellow on 

 four?" As the breeding for the yellow 

 continued, that on all the segments be- 

 came wider and wider, the yellow en- 

 croaching on the black or dark more and 

 more all the while, until individual 



specimens began showing a very minute 

 stripe on the front edge of the fifth seg- 

 ment, which gave rise to the present term 

 "five-banded." As this yellow on the 

 fifth segment increased, the dark or black 

 stripes on the first, second and third seg- 

 ments \anished altogether; and as pro- 

 gress continued the black finally dis- 

 appeared on the fourth segment also, 

 which made this individual bee appear 

 like a lump of gold as it sported in the 

 sunshine in front of its hive This gave 

 berth to the name "Golden Italians.'- 

 .\nd thus it is that five-banded bees and 

 the Golden Italians are one and the same 

 thing, only the guldens are a little farther 

 advanced in the race towards the yellow 

 line than arc the five-banded. While this 

 is so, the two terms are very largely used 

 indiscriminately, both being applied to 

 the verv vellow bees of todav. 



Dr. Mason in Bee-Keepers' Rei'ie7f: 



BH.ST QUEENS, ETC. 



In The American Bee Keeper Mr. Ed. 

 Jolley says: Dr. Miller says that the 

 queen f om the first sealed cells are the 

 best. My experience is that when a 



