116 



THE AMERICAN APtCULTURIST. 



(March 20) 54 stocks of bees in 

 our cellar. I could probably- sweep 

 up three pecks of dead bees from 

 the lloor, yet my stocks are strong, 

 healthy, and in good condition. 

 We must remember that bees go 

 on dying in winter, as well as in 

 summer, though not to so great an 

 extent ; but in winter every dead 

 bee shows, while in summer, few 

 are seen of the thousands that die. 

 The peck of bees from oG stocks 

 in nine weeks is nothing unusual 

 and need occasion no alarm. The 

 temperature, 48° is all right. My 

 bees have been in the cellar over 

 sixteen weeks. 

 Oneida^ 111. 



For the American ApicuUnrist. 



THE CARNIOLANS. 



C. L. riSHER. 



I received the March number of 

 the Apicultuhist and was much 

 pleased with its contents, with one 

 exception. In the department of 

 "Questions and Answers," Query 

 No. 14, second question, which 

 calls for a description of the Ca.-- 

 niolan bees, their good and bad 

 qualities, etc., in justice to that 

 superior race of bees and to the 

 few men that are breeding and in- 

 troducing them, I would criticise 

 the answer by Ur. Tinker. In 

 his answer he says the Carniolans 

 are hardly distinguishable from 

 the common black bee ; if that is 

 the color of the Carniolans as Mr. 

 Tinker knows them, then either 

 he or I have never seen them in 

 their purity. As I know them, 

 they bear no more resemblance to 

 the common black bee than do the 

 Italians; and in size, the fertile 

 queens are a very little longer than 

 the blacks but perhaps no huger 

 round, and I he drones :ir(» as la.rg(> 



as an}- I have ever reared. Dr. 

 Tinker says the race is, no doubt, 

 a cross between the common black 

 and Cyprian races, but he didn't 

 quote any authority to back the 

 statement. I give the following 

 reasons why I very much doubt Dr. 

 Tinker's statement : 



The disposition of the Carniolans 

 is much milder than that of either 

 the blacks or Cyprians ; and then 

 the C^'prians, as I am informed, 

 are gatherers of propolis, as also 

 are the blacks, while the Carnio- 

 lans are not. As to their honey- 

 gathering qualities, the Carniolans 

 stand first in my yard, and I have 

 had them side by side vvith Italians, 

 blacks and their crosses. They 

 are better nurse bees than the Ital- 

 ians, hence much better for cell 

 building. 1 fully agree with Brotiier 

 Tinker that they are excessive 

 breeders, long-lived and hardy. 

 They enter the sections readily and 

 cap their hone}' snowy white and 

 they don't bother me al)out swarm- 

 ing, but perhaps they would if I 

 let them follow their own inclina- 

 tions. 



In conclusion, I will say my or 

 iginal stock was imported, and I 

 have no idea that a person as well 

 informed in apiculture as the one 

 who shipped the queens to me, 

 would waste his time on :ni ordi- 

 nary hybrid race of bees. 



So. Deerfidd, J\fass. 



[We tliink it is quite ovidt'iil, tii;U. 

 Mr. Fisher never saw a pure Caniiolaii 

 bee. We were the lirst to import, tliis 

 new race, and we find that Dr. 'riiikcr 

 <rave a j^ood description of them and 

 we a.i>ree with the Dr. in all his state- 

 ments but the point regardiriir tiie 

 oriijjinality of the Carniolans. We do 

 not think they are a hybrid variety, as 

 the queens we imported did not pro- 

 duce one l)ee that siiowed any yellow 

 bands. Their color was an iron-nray: 

 but as the l)ees jjrew older, the white 

 hairs came oil and they resembled the 

 conunon black bees. Don't take too 

 nmcli stock, my friend, in import<'d 

 (pH'cns. ] 



