316 • BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



• 



Italians made one " super " of honey, and cast one swarm, which 

 filled its hive, and one super, and also cast a swarm. All of these 

 swarms of Italians wintered well without feeding, while three or 

 four of the common swarms required to be fed to get them 

 through the winter. 



In the spring of 1864 he carried two swarms of Italians about 

 three miles from his home apiary, and made them into non- 

 swarming hives. From the two swarms of common bees he took 

 one hundred and six pounds of surplus honey, wliile from the 

 two swarms of Italians he took two hundred and three pounds 

 of surplus honey. 



In the second place, the pure Italians are less inclined to sting, 

 so much less, that they can be handled almost with impunity, 

 without fear of their sting. The reason why so many bee- 

 keepers arc prejudiced against the Italian bees, on account, as 

 they say, of their being so irritable, so cross, as they express it, 

 is that they have got " hybrids " or half-blood queens, which 

 have been sent to them, perhaps, for /;wre Italians, and they do 

 not answer the recommendation. They consequently discard 

 them without a fair trial, ■ The progeny of these half-blood 

 queens are more irritable than the common bee, although, in most 

 other respects, they have the characteristics of the pure Italians. 



In the third place, they are more prolific, and swarm earlier 

 and more frequently. They are stronger, more courageous, and 

 active in self-defence against other bees, and are seldom robbed, 

 while on the other hand, they are not inclined to rob other 

 swarms. 



These reasons, or points of superiority, seem to be sufficient 

 to establish a case without-further argument, and I am ready to 

 yield and say give me the Italians. 



Mr. Bradley has a winter apiary, which is a dark shed, lined 

 on the inside with straw, to which he removes his swarms when 

 cold weather sets in, and where they are kept till spring. He 

 showed us his mode of raising queens, and his manner of send- 

 ing them off to any distance. To introduce an Italian queen to 

 a common hive, he first removes its queen, then puts the Italian 

 queen into the hive, in a little cage consisting of a bit of shingle 

 with a gauze wire tacked upon it, so as to make an oval inclos- 

 ure two or three times as big as the thumb, perhaps. Into tlus 

 little cage the bees cannot enter, ])ut they can run over it till 



