THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



131 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Black Bee — Cause of its Running: 

 Out. 



Under the head of The Bhick Bee, it 

 may not be thought improper to chiss tlie 

 three varieties of blaek, browu and gray 

 bee, although they may be distinguished 

 by peculiar characteristics, as but varie- 

 ties of the same race, for certainly as re- 

 gards mildness of temper, fertility and 

 honey gathering properties, the large gray 

 and brown bee are certainly' preferable to 

 the small and vicious black one; yet, as 

 in respect to any observations we are 

 about to make in relation to the stock de- 

 teriorating or running out, what would 

 be applicable to one, would be alike true 

 of the other. We have thought it better 

 therefore to designate all as the black or 

 dark bee. 



In passing through the apiaries of our 

 friends in the country, how frequently do 

 we hear such remarks as these: "Our bees 

 have ceased to be profitable;" "The tim- 

 ber has been cut off and too much clear- 

 ing has been done ;" "My father had ex- 

 cellent success and my grand-father before 

 him even better than he." So frequently 

 have we heard these and kindred obser- 

 vations that we have been led to look 

 closely at the subject and see, if we can- 

 not assign a belter reason why an in- 

 dustrious little worker should cease to be 

 as laborious and profitable (all conditions 

 being equal) as in earlier years. And yet 

 while reluctantly we would listen to the 

 complaints of our friends at their loss, 

 we would occasionally happen upon a 

 more fortunate one, whose apiary was 

 in a prosperous condition, stocks in- 

 creasing, and the product of honey ex- 

 ceeding tiiat of former years. (Tliis can- 

 not altogether be accounted for in tiie fact 

 that this one is a more careful bee-keeper 

 than those just before mentioned.) But 

 upon further inquiry we learn from him 

 that on several occasions he has been for- 

 tunate enough to find bees in a tree in the 

 woods which he has secured and brought 

 home, and at present they serve as an in- 

 crease to his stocks, or at another time he 

 has found a swarm hanging upon a limb 

 or bush, which he has succeeded in 

 hiving and placing in his apiary. But 

 ■wh;it is more probable than either case, 

 he ha> bf'en at a sale some fifteen miles 

 distant where some half dozen strong col- 

 onies were offered at a sacrifice, and 

 which he has purchased and placed along 

 side of his own. Let us see if in this 

 fact we cannot learn the secret of his 

 success — if in this admixture of foreign 

 blood, (shall we call it) we cannot account 

 for his more prosperous condition than 

 that of his neighbors. 



How common a practice it has become 

 for farmers to introduce fresh blood 

 among their cattle, their sheep, their 



hogs, and even their poultry, indeed has 

 this become of such universal practice, 

 that only he who acts upon it, is regarded 

 as the successful and thrifty farmer. This 

 course of breeding then being so gener- 

 ally sustained, by those who have found it 

 so much to their interest to follow it, and, 

 as we have said before, of such almost 

 universal adoption, as it holds good and 

 has proven pr(;fitable in the instances 

 heretofore cited, why then should it 

 not be acted upon in the proper propaga- 

 tion of our bees? Believing then, as we 

 do, that the long continued course 

 of in-and-in breeding has contributed 

 to a greater extent than all other causes 

 combined, to the deterioration of the 

 black bee, we shall offer a remedy, 

 and one which we think will not only ac- 

 complish the desired end, but will be of 

 easy execution. 



We hope it will not be thought that we 

 have here assumed that the dwindling or 

 running out of the black bee proceeds 

 from any other than natural causes, which 

 certainly can be accounted for in the 

 plain reasons heretofore given. Far be 

 it from us to give credence to such an 

 idea, when for years past we have consid- 

 ered that our most productive honey- 

 gatherers and most prolific breeders, were 

 a cross of the Italian with the gray bee. 

 It will be seen that the prime object to be 

 attained, is the admixture of a strain 

 from wiiich we have not hitherto been 

 breeding. We care not if you please, that 

 you select the least to be desired, the 

 small black bee, our aim should be to 

 carefully avoid the dangerous system of 

 in and-in breeding which we make free to 

 say has been the cause of the deteriora- 

 tion, and not a failing of any distinct 

 species. 



Let our friends who have met with the 

 serious reverses before spoken of, make an 

 arrangement with a fellow bee-keeper some 

 ten or fifteen miles distant to exchange an 

 equal number of stocks, (say five or six) 

 we care not whether they all be the black 

 bee, and our word for it, the result can- 

 not but prove satisfactory to both parties 

 concerned. 



Just bv way of parenthesis, we may be 

 pardoned for here stating that this is not 

 intended as a special plea for the black 

 bee, for we have not a single colony 

 among all our stocks. 



But to the main question again. To 

 attain the highest degree of improved 

 breeding in our bees, it cannot at this late 

 day be denied that an addition of Italian 

 stock must be resorted to, however small 

 that addition may be at the outstart. We 

 have bred the Italian bee constantly since 

 1861, (of the first importation) and as we 

 said before, our best honey producers, (at 

 least of box-honey) were a cross of the 

 Italian with the gray bee. This indeed 

 proved so valuable an acquisition, that 



