THE GENESEE FARMER 



113 



the bees to commence filling the boxes sooner than they 

 would do if no such combs were placed there. Take new 

 combs of last year's make, and cut into pieces about two 

 inches long and one inch or less thick — the lower edges 

 of combs being best Then melt some beeswax, take a 

 stick with a rag tied to the end, about as large as a walnut, 

 and first lay a coating of hot wax upon the place where 

 the piece of comb is to be cemented, then dip the edge of 

 the comb to come in contact with such coating quickly in 

 the wax, and place it in its position before the wax has 

 time to cool, and it will adhere firmly. You can give di- 

 rection to the store combs in the caps, by placing these 

 small pieces of comb lengthwise, as you desire the combs 

 to be built. 



It is not a difficult matter to attach pieces of comb in 

 boxes that are closed, with no opening except the holes 

 through which the bees pass. In such cases, the pieces 

 of comb should be no larger than will easily pass through 

 the holes, and the placing in position is to be done with 

 the swab, the stick above referred to. 



Clinton, N. Jr. T. B. MINER. 



ITALIAN EEES. 



Eds. Genesee Farmer: — The February No. of the Gen- 

 esee Farmer contains an article on Italian honey bees 

 from Mr. T. B. Miner, which, it strikes me, is so much at 

 variance with the spirit which characterizes the contents 

 of your valuable journal, so inconsistent, and displaying 

 such ignorance of modern bee literature and physiology, 

 that one would suspect the writer had confined his read- 

 ing strictly to his own book on the Honey Bee. which, 

 valuable as it is, does not exhaust the subject. As many 

 place deservedly high confidence in Mr. Miner's practi- 

 cal skill, they may be led astray by his statements in the 

 article on the Italian bee. 



For the sake of brevity, I will go over the same ground 

 without referring to his statements. Those iuterested in 

 the subject may, by comparing our statements, judge for 

 themselves which article is best supported by facts, and 

 which is written in the best spirit to advance truth and 

 dispel error. 



Families of Italian bees, as well as queens, have been 

 offered for sale, by advertisement, by several parties for 

 more than a year past; but from the extra risk and ex- 

 pense attending transportation of families on long jour- 

 neys, we do not advise their purchase. 



There was never " speculation" or "humbug" in the 

 importation of the Italian bee, either into this country 

 or into different parts of Europe. As early as 1849, a few 

 families of Italian bees were imported into Germany by 

 amateurs. They were kept and bred by scientific men, 

 who had made bee culture the study of their life, and 

 not a business; and they employed this most interesting 

 insect to elucidate some of the most important and inter- 

 esting truths in the mysteries of bee life. (See the writ- 

 ings of Dzierzon, Borlepsch and Siebold.) At Dzier- 

 zon's apiary, and aided by him, the learned and renowned 

 Siebold armed himself with facts which made clear the 

 existence of true parthenogenesis in bees by experiments 

 with both the black and Italian honey bee*. Whilst 

 Dzierzon was conducting various experiments, which ex- 

 tended over several years, and which could only be 



carried on by the presence of the two races together, he 

 and other observers noticed striking differences in favor 

 of the Italian race, and then a natural and legitimate de- 

 sire arose to obtain them. Since 1849, much has been 

 written about them by highly educated men in Germany, 

 England and France. Mr. Langstroth was, I believe, the 

 first to publish an account of them in this country, and, 

 if I mistake not, it appeared in the first edition of his 

 valuable work, translated by his friend Mi\Samuel Wagner 

 from the German Bienenzeitung . Each subsequent edition 

 contains a more minute account of them. Since Mr. 

 Langstroth's first notice, a growing interest has existed 

 in this beautiful and useful insect, which induced several 

 gentlemen to import them; among other attempts, the 

 Patent Office at Washington, which effort, I regret to say, 

 was unsuccessful. 



I would here, for the public good, demand of Mr. 

 Miner proof that the workers can, "at hest, be only half 

 breeds." This shows that he is either ignorant of the 

 physiology of the bee, as given by the highest modern 

 authorities, or that he discards their views. I never part 

 with a queen until I have seen her progeny, and know 

 them (the progeny) to be full blooded. Owing to the 

 distance queens fly when on their "first excursion," it is 

 necessary, in order to insure a certainty of having a ma- 

 jority of Italian queens purely impregnated, to have com- 

 mand of all the native bees for at least two miles distant. 

 This, of itself, involves considerable trouble and expense, 

 which, together with all the expenses — first cost and im- 

 portation — is such that it must take several years for an 

 importer to realize from sales at any price his first sea- 

 son's outlay, if ever he does it. 



Description, etc. — This peculiar bee exists only on the 

 southern slopes of the Alps, in Lombardy and Southern 

 Switzerland. I say only, for in no other part of the 

 world is this species found as a native. It is marked 

 distinctly with three light yellow bands, and is there- 

 fore entirely different in external appearance from the 

 common black bee. It is about one-ninth larger than the 

 black bee, if hatched in cells of its own make. As to its 

 superior qualities, although attested by the highest au- 

 thority, I may add my own experience. I find them 

 stronger, more hardy, and more laborious than the black 

 bee. In the early morning, before the black bee is to be 

 seen, they are out at work, and in the evening, when all 

 is quiet about the black hive, you will still see the Italian 

 worker returning to her home. 



On cloudy mornings and windy days they show more 

 courage; you will then see twice as many Italians active 

 as others. Their strength is superior beyond question, 

 and they will invariably commence to rob the black 

 hive first, if placed in their vicinity; whereas, I have 

 never in my experience seen the black hive attempt to 

 rob an Italian colony. 



The reason that this species has only of late years 

 come into renown, is from the fact that the region in 

 which this bee is exclusively found is not much in com- 

 munication with the other parts of Europe, being very 

 mountainous, and not traversed by general highways, 

 rivers and railroads. c. wm. rose. 



No. 63 Exchange Place, New York. 



