THE AMERICAN APICULTVRIST. 



93 



BREEDING BEES FOR QUALITY. 

 REPLY TO O. O. POPPLETON. 



On page 51, Mr. Poppleton dis- 

 sents from iTi}' theor}', which ac- 

 counts for the fact that no races of 

 bees, crossed together, produce an 

 offspring almost universally more 

 belligerent than either parent race 

 in its purit}', — I affirm that it is not 

 true ; that nearly all angry bees be- 

 come so before taking wing from 

 their combs. Suppose il to be true 

 that bees will leave their combs be- 

 cause of their anger, after that anger 

 reaches a certain degree. If they 

 roll and tumble off the combs, fall 

 into the air (not flat on the ground 

 as Mr. Poppleton infers), if they 

 had any idea of stinging before 

 tumbling into the air, it is now in- 

 creased. 



Perhaps one reason why we look 

 at these things so differently, is be- 

 cause we manage bees very differ- 

 ently. Mr. Poppleton says that 

 "all know how necessary it is that 

 while working among bees our mo- 

 tions should be quiet and deliber- 

 ate, not quick and jerky, especially 

 while passing our hands over an 

 open hive." Now I am going to 

 state very plainly that here we do 

 not handle bees any such way. The 

 very first thing we do before we 

 make a jar, or incite the bees what- 

 ever, is to smoke them quickly but 

 thoroughl}' ; thus having them sub- 

 dued we keep them subdued in the 

 same way and work them rapidly 

 and rather carelessly, which, when 

 done in connection with the smok- 

 ing above described, simply adds 

 to the causes which completely sub- 

 due them and we never have an}^ 

 bees standing around on the tops 

 of the frames or some other good 

 place watching for a tender spot on 

 our nose, and we accomplish our 

 work in the least possible time and 

 close the hive, and we think we 

 need fear no competition from hon- 

 ey produced by any beekeeper who 



carefully and cautiously moves 

 about his work, I again repeat that, 

 when properly done, quick, ener- 

 getic, executive movements add to 

 the complete conquering of bees, 

 rather than irritating them. Walk 

 cautiously up to a hive and kick it 

 two or three times and what is the 

 result? Stings by the hundred. 

 First subdue it with smoke and 

 then do the kicking and the result 

 is you have thus added to the sub- 

 jection of the bees. 



Mr. Poppleton's last proposition 

 for a test is unfair and irrelevant. 

 In both cases, the bees are irritated 

 and brushed into the air ; and the 

 Italians, being ugliest by nature, 

 will sting worst. An ugly bee may 

 sit on a comb and have thoughts of 

 leaving it to sting you, but if such 

 a bee instinctively clings to the 

 comb, there is an attraction the 

 other way, also, and he will, not go 

 as soon as he would if that attrac- 

 tion did not exist. 



I believe beekeepers will agree 

 with me that when German bees 

 begin to roll and tumble off' the 

 combs into the air, is the time to 

 begin to look for stings. 



If my theory isn't correct, what 

 one is ? 



I have not for years read any- 

 thing so astounding as Mr. Svvin- 

 son's article on page 51 wherein he 

 informs us that in the south Italian 

 and German bees exactly reverse 

 their habits as known in the north 

 as regards clogging the brood- 

 combs with honey and swarmino". 

 It must be that this reversed pecu- 

 liarity is confined to Mr. Swinson's 

 locality, or at least a few localities 

 in the south ; for, during the past 

 eighteen years of discussions re- 

 garding the characteristics of the 

 two races, during which time the 

 Italians have been charged with 

 the clogging and swarming fault, 

 over and over again, and the Ger- 

 mans as often praised for their 

 meritorious conduct in this respect, 



