166 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL AND GAZETTE. 



us for almost auy amount of ferocity from such 

 mixtures. None of us who have liandlcd even 

 the pure Italians in such damp and cool days as 

 usually prevail in England, can have failed to 

 notice that they are far less peaceable then, 

 than when operated upon in our hottest wea- 

 ther. 



The following is Vogel's account of the tem- 

 per of the Egyptians as given in a letter to Mr. 

 Woodbury : 



"You were kind enough to inform me that 

 the Egyptian bees were very much inclined to 

 sting. This my experience contirms. The 

 Egyptian bees cannot bear tobacco-smoke; if 

 used during an operation they get very angry. 

 They do not in Egypt employ tobacco-smoke, 

 but use that of dried cow-dung. Mr. Soliman, 

 an Arabian, who has a hundred hives, always 

 employs the latter when performing an opera- 

 tion. I use the smoke of decayed wood, but 

 this does not prevent their attacking me. You 

 ^ are perfectly right in saying that the Egyptian 

 bees are very easily irritated, whilst on the 

 other hand they are very good-natured, and if 

 people study their temper, they are very easily 

 to be managed." 



Vogel's opinion agrees with that of Colu- 

 mella, who nearly two thousand years ago, in 

 describing the smaller variety as more peace- 

 able than the larger kinds, says the anger of 

 the better variety of bees is easily assuaged by 

 the frequent presence of those who have the 

 charge of them, for the oftener they are handled, 

 the sooner they become gentle. 



It would have been highly gratifying to the 

 many admirers in this country of the celebrated 

 Dzierzon, to have had him give us his ex- 

 perience with the Egyptian bees. The follow- 

 ing, however, from a communication of his to 

 tht! Bienenzeiiung, will show that he has de- 

 termined not to introduce it into his apiary : 



" i have received so many letters from per- 

 sons who imagine that I have already obtained 

 the Egyptian bees, that, in order to prevent 

 similar inquiries, I wish to state that interesting 

 as are the observations which Herr Vogel has 

 already made with regard to this bee, 1 have 

 taken no steps whatever to establish it in my 

 apiary, inasmuch as one cannot keep two races 

 perfectly pure in the same place; but I am so 

 tirmly convinced that the Italian bee is the 

 queen of all races; that she is the ne plus ultra 

 in beauty, good nature, industry, and ability to 

 defend herself; that, for this reason, I would 

 exchange her lor no other. That she may be 

 maintained thriving and pure in our climate is 

 manifested by thirteen years experience, dur- 

 ing which she has been improved by careful 

 breeding. This was proved at the last exhi- 

 bition at Brunu, where, of the four (meens 

 brought from Italy, none were equal in Ireauty 

 to the one louud in the hive exhibited by me." 

 It may well be that the Italian bee is the "?ie 

 plus ■uUra''' of the honied tribe, but we shall be 

 all the better prepared to yield it the palm, 

 when we have from actual trial of the other 

 kind proved its superioiity. Our American 

 apiarians, gratefully acknowledging their in- 

 debtedness to Uzierzon for the introduction 

 into Germany, and wide dissemination of the 



Italian race, and to Vogel for giving us the 

 opportunity of experimenting with the Egyptian 

 bee, are, as we happen to know, even now pre- 

 paring to introduce into this country all the 

 leading varieties of honey-bees known to exist 

 in Europe, Asia, or Africa; satisfied that only 

 after we have given to all a fair trial, can Ave 

 safely say which is the best. 



I cannot close this communication without 

 paying a deserved tribute to Mr. Woodbury 

 for the admirable manner in which he prepared 

 a colony of bees with an Egyptian queen ex- 

 pressly imported by him for me from Vogel's 

 apiary. Although the bees had been detained 

 nearly a Aveek in the Custom-house at New 

 York, I found, on opening the hive at Brook- 

 lyn, that they had suffered little, if at all, from 

 their long confinement, few more if any having 

 died than would have perished had Vhey re- 

 mained on their stand in his apiary. The ar- 

 rangements for giving the bees air were excel- 

 lent, and the devices for preventing the combs 

 from being broken, were superior to any I have 

 ever seen. 



L. L. Langstroth. 



Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio, Jan. 10, 18G7. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bees Building in a Room. 



In the fall of 186;"), a gentleman in Amherst 

 C. H., Va., having lost a great many of his hives 

 by theft, determined to secure the remaining 

 ones by putting them in a room, in a vacant 

 house on his premises. 



Last season being uncommonly favorable in 

 that section, his bees soon filled their hives, and 

 began to build between them and the wall, some 

 of the stronger swarms extending their combs 

 nearly to the ceiling, and all of them storing 

 great quantities of honey. During the summer 

 of course no one could enter the room, for it re- 

 sembled a mammoth bee-hive. But when the 

 cold weather set in, the bees all returned to their 

 hives, and the honey was removed Avith care. 



I am anxious to know how the bees will do 

 next summer, for in all cases I have before 

 heard of, attempts to induce bees to build in 

 rooms have been failures. 



The success in this case may have been owing 

 to the very favorable season, and I Avould not 

 advise any one to try the experiment on ac- 

 count of it. W. 



Elkkidge, Md., Feb. 5th, 1867. 



* ♦■ i8 » » ^ 



Honey is best clarified by means of a hot- 

 water bath. This may be readily improved by 

 putting the jar containing it in a saucepan or 

 boiler of water, which should be placed on the 

 fire, and boiled vmtil the honey becomes per- 

 fectly clear, all impurities being removed by 

 skinuniug as they arise. Store it in ah'-tight 

 jars, and keep it in a cool place. — London Jour, 

 nal of Horticulture. 



