THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



51 



Mr. Heddon gives us a very ingen- 

 iously-constructed theory on this 

 subject, one which it seems to me is 

 much more cute than correct. It is 

 true that nine-tenths of the stings we 

 receive are from bees that are on the 

 wing, and the black bees are much 

 more inclined to take to the wing 

 than are. Italians, but is it not also 

 true, that nearly all angry bees be- 

 come so before leaving their combs, 

 and left them because of that anger? 

 Do bees usually become angry while 

 on the wing, unless struck at or other- 

 wise interfered with ? Aren't most of 

 the stings we get, from bees that dart 

 from the combs, and not from those 

 that are flying around in the air? The 

 bees I always fear are the fellows that 

 stand around on the top of the frames, 

 or some other good place for a lookout, 

 and watch every motion for an ex- 

 cuse to jump at somebody or some- 

 thing, and if they see an unlucky 

 motion, they usually go "straight as 

 a bee" to the hand or face. After 

 having taken wing, they remain there 

 on the war path, giving the impres- 

 sion to casual observers that they be- 

 came angry while there. All know 

 how necessary it is that while work- 

 ing among bees, our motions should 

 be quiet and deliberate, not quick 

 and jerky, especially while passing 

 our hands over an open hive. Shak- 

 ing bees off the combs, during ex- 

 tracting season, will soon show an 

 observer how much less danger there 

 is from bees on the wing, than from 

 the chaps who are around on the 

 frames hissing, buzzing and ducking 

 their heads this way and that, ready 

 to jump if they can see something to 

 jump at. If any one is curious on 

 this subject, let him try the experi- 

 ment, first with Italians, then with 

 blacks, of brushing bees off their 

 combs without first shaking off most 

 of the old bees, and I think Mr. Hed- 

 don's theory will be very thoroughly 

 disproven. 



Hawkes Park, Fla. 



For the American AvicuUurist. 



HYBRIDS vs. PURE 

 ITALIANS. 



Abbott L. Swinso>. 



Friend A. L. Taylor, of Lapeer, 

 Mich., has an article in the Decem- 

 ber number of the "Api," "Ital- 

 ians vs. Hybrids," in which he 

 points out the superiority of "h}'- 

 brids"over Italian bees. Well, first, 

 here is where his experience and 

 mine widely dilfer. The very point 

 that he makes for his German hy- 

 brid bees against the Italians are 

 those most ap[)lieable to the pure 

 Italians for this locality. I notice 

 that most all our northern beekeep- 

 ers, in recording tlieir experience 

 in the trial of this and that, is ex- 

 actly the opposite of the same ex- 

 periment tried here in the south, 

 and I have often noticed this from 

 our best writers, those best posted 

 in apicnltural knowledge and j^)rac- 

 tical apiarists. Consequently, when 

 I see anything so very different in its 

 nature from the same practical re- 

 sults asol)tained here at the south, I 

 can but conclude it is due to the dif- 

 ference in our climate. The conclu- 

 sion is thus forced upon me that 

 such I'ules and conditions, as are 

 applicable to beekeeping in the 

 north and west, will but poorly ap- 

 ply to the soutliern beekeeping. 

 This one fact should be kept in 

 view always, when a southern bee- 

 keeper is reading after a northern 

 or western apiarist and vice versa, 

 especially when he reads that which 

 is so contraiy to his own observa- 

 tion on the same points. That 

 Mr. Taylor's observations between 

 Italians and hybrids fur JMichigan 

 is correct, I must think, because 1 

 have every reason which he could 

 give, and my knowledge of the 

 man leads me to that conclusion. 

 And furtlier, 1 know tiiat he has 



