1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



347 



Head in the National Convention. 



The Different Races of Honey Bees, and 

 their Geographical Distribution. 



Dli. J. P. II. HltoWN. 



The bee bears the same relation to the 

 other orders of insects, that the Caucasian 

 race bears to the other races of man kind ; 

 it is the highest type of insectian form and 

 development. Endowed with instinct, and 

 "a kind of reason, differing, perhaps, only 

 in degree from that of man, these insects 

 out-rank all other articulates." In the 

 fossiliferous history of our earth, the bee 

 does not date far hack, but is the last to 

 appear upon the earth's surface. 



This insect has been placed by .entomo- 

 logists in the order Hymenoptera family 

 Apiaria? of Latreille, genus apis. The 

 genus is subdivided into various species; 

 probably not more than seven or eight. 

 Some of the old writers have enumerated 

 many species under the generic name 

 "apis," regardless whether they belonged 

 to the social or solitary group. 



The species "apis melilica," which is 

 our domestic honey bee, is the one most 

 generally known, and is the one to which 

 I shall confine myself in this paper. The 

 black or German bee, the Italian bee, the 

 Cyprian bee, the Egyptian bee, and the 

 Holy Land or Syrian bee, are often referred 

 to as distinct species, but neither of these 

 races or varieties have sufficient physical 

 characteristics to entitle them to be so 

 classed. The catagory of characteristics 

 upon which species are based, embraces 

 not only marked differences in the propor- 

 tion of the parts and in the absolute size 

 of the whole animal, but it also implies a 

 difference in habit, and a capability of in- 

 definitely perpetuating the characteristics 

 of the animal by sexual reproduction. 



Hybridity among species very rarely oc- 

 curs ; varieties, on the other hand, very 

 easily cross, and such crosses are prolific, 

 while true hybrids are not usually so. 

 I use the term hybrid here in its true sig- 

 nification, and not in the sense in which 

 it is commonly applied by bee-keepers. 



Whether the different varieties of the 

 honey bee originated by the touch of the 

 Divine hand from a common centre, or 

 whether they emerged into existence, ac- 

 cording to the theory of evolution, with 

 all their distinctive peculiarities, at the lo- 

 calities where found, I will not discuss, 

 but will simply observe, that from all the 

 light we have before us, both sacred and 

 profane history, bearing upon the nativity 

 of our domestic bee, we are forced to locate 

 it in the country now known as Syria. 

 How far the type of this bee, inhabiting 

 this locality, has been changed by the 

 agencies brought to bear upon it through 

 the thousands of years of its existence, we 

 have no positive knowledge ; but we do 

 know that when a race or variety of ani- 

 mals are taken from one locality into 

 another where there is a difference in food, 

 and different climatic agencies brought to 

 bear upon them, that they will gradually 

 undergo some change in their physical 

 characteristics. As illustrations of this 

 fact, Mr. Alfred R. Wallace, author of 

 "Theory of Natural Selection," has ob- 

 served that butterflies, of the family 

 "Papilionidse." inhabiting Sumatra, Java 

 and Borneo, are almost always smaller 

 than the closely allied species of Celebes 

 and the Moluccas ; the species or varieties 

 of the small Island of Amboyna, are larger 

 than the same species or closely allied 

 forms inhabiting the surrounding islands; 

 the species found in Celebes possess a pe- 

 culiar form ot wing, quite distinct from 

 that of the same or closely allied species 

 of adjacent islands ; and numerous species 

 which have tailed wings in India and the 

 western islands of the Archipelago, grad- 

 ually lose the tail as we proceed eastward 

 to New Guinea and the Pacific. 



In Angora, not only goats, but shepherd 

 dogs and cats have fine fleecy hair; the 

 wool of sheep changes its character in the 

 West Indies in 3 generations. M. Costa 

 states that young oysters, taken from the 

 coast of England and placed in the Medi- 

 terranean, at once altered their manner of 

 growth, and formed prominent diverging 

 rays, like those on the shells of the proper 

 Mediterranean oyster." 



We find the same law to hold good in 

 the vegetable world. Apple trees of win- 

 ter varieties taken from Northern nurse- 

 ries and transplanted in the Southern 

 States, mature their fruit early in the fall 

 with the loss of its keeping qualities. Im- 

 proved varieties of tomatoes that grow to 

 perfection at the north, when planted in 

 the extreme south will degenerate in a 

 few seasons into small red balls. Some 10 

 years ago I planted for the first time the 



Trinidad sweet potato, then recently im- 

 ported. Then it was of globular shape, 

 white, and rather coarse grained. The 

 same potato now, on my grounds, under 



careful culture, has entirely changed its 



original shape and qualities. It has be- 

 come oblong in shape, of yellowish color, 

 fine grained with an abundance of saccha- 

 rine matter. 



In commenting upon these alterations of 

 type in vegetables and animals, the author 

 previously quoted observes that "many 

 of these curious modifications may, in 

 time, be due to other causes than climate 

 only, but they serve to show how power- 

 fully and mysteriously local conditions af- 

 fect the form and structure of both plants 

 and animals, and they render It probable 

 that changes of constitution are also con- 

 tinually produced, although we have, in 

 the majority of cases, no means of detect- 

 ing them." 



Heir Vogel, a distinguished scientific 

 apiarist of Prussia, in a paper upon the 

 "Mixed Breeds of Bees," refers to varie- 

 ties as follows : "If the bees of any par- 

 ticular district are distinguished by a 

 marked propensity for swarming, or by 

 any other special characteristics, we are 

 warranted in designating them as a va- 

 riety. Thus in my estimation, the heath 

 bees of Luneberg, or those of lower Aus- 

 tria, etc., are simply new varieties of our 

 well known black bee. The peculiar con- 

 stitutional properties which characterize 

 varieties are rooted in the physical or 

 spiritual nature of the insect, and elicited 

 by the kind or quality of the pasturage, by 

 particular modes of management, by di- 

 versity of climate, or some other domina- 

 ting peculiarity of the district. Accord- 

 ingly, these constitutional properties dis- 

 appear, or are lost by lapseof time, by re- 

 moval to a different locality, and thus sub- 

 jecting the insect to other climatic influ- 

 ences, and other conditions of manage- 

 ment or pasturage." 



Reasoning a priori, we are forced to the 

 conclusion that the Syrian, Cyprian, 

 Egyptian, Italian and black bees are 

 simply varieties of the species "apis me- 

 lifica," and are of common origin. We are 

 also confirmed in this conviction by their 

 comparative characteristics. In cultiva- 

 ting any of these breeds of bees, there is a 

 continual, though slight disposition to 

 sport from a precise standard of physical 

 and psychical characteristics to an assump- 

 tion of some of the peculiarities of some 

 other breed. This seems to be a rule at- 

 tending the breeding of all cattle, horses, 

 sheep, swine and fancy breeds of poultry, 

 that lack that fixedness and individuality 

 of character sufficient to stamp such 

 breed as a distinct species. The black 

 bee and the Cyprian, though possessing 

 probably more type of character than the 

 other varieties, often sport from an exact 

 standard, both iu the queen and worker 

 progeny. Black queens are often found 

 as yellow as some imported Italians, and 

 in the same apiary of blacks, the workers 

 of one colony may be larger in size, and of 

 a less black color than the rest. In fact, 

 1 have often seen black bees when their 

 abdomen was distended with honey, that 

 showed 3 bands quite as distinctly as some 

 dark Italians. 



Cyprian queens come nearer duplicating 

 themselves in appearance than any other 

 breed, but they at times, sport. The work- 

 ers generally have the yellow abdominal 

 bands bright and distinct, with a delicate 

 fringe of yellow hair bordering the poste- 

 rior segments of the abdomen ; but some- 

 times this hair is whitish, and the fringe 

 heavy, with nothing to distinguish them 

 from the Syrians and Egyptians. On the 

 hack between the articulations of the 

 wings of the Cyprians, there is generally 

 a tuft of bright golden yellowish hair, 

 covering the honey shield, which is also 

 yellow. These marks are claimed to be a 

 distinguishing trait in their case, but if 

 you will carefully examine your bright 

 Italians and Syrians, you will find many 

 bees with the same mark. I find many 

 Syrian queens marked like the Cyprians, 

 but then at times, we find them as dark as 

 black queens. The same observation ap- 

 plies to the Egyptian queens. Italian 

 queens, as we receive them from Italy, 

 vary very much in appearance. While 

 some few are bright and yellow, the ma- 

 jority will produce three- banded workers. 

 I have seen, and received myself, direct 

 from that country, some that would pro- 

 duce some workers that could not be dis- 

 tinguished from blacks 



When the mental peculiarities of these 

 breeds are compared, they point as unmis- 

 takably to the common origin, as do the 

 physical characteristics. 



The Italian, strongly adhere to their 

 combs ; the Cyprians also possess the 

 same propensity, only not in so marked a 

 degree. The blacks, when alarmed, will 

 scamper and desert their brood ; the Sy- 

 rians show the same trait, but not to so 

 great an extent. The Egyptian bees have 

 a great propensity to build queen cells and 

 swarm ; the same can be said of the Cyp- 

 rians and Syrians, and now and then we 



find the same disposition among Italians. 

 1 have had colonies of blacks to show the 

 same propensity. 



The mass Of bee-keepers are fully ac- 

 quainted with the blacks and Italians, hut 

 arc unfamiliar with the Cyprians and Sy- 

 rians. There seems to be great diversity 

 of opinion in regard to the merits of these 

 two last named varieties, which have been 

 recently introduced. If they should add 

 nothing to Increase the honey production 

 of our country, 1 regard their introduction 

 into America as a means of throwing more 

 light upon the natural history of the honey 

 bee, and to those two enthusiastic bee- 

 keepers, Messrs. D. A. Jones and Frank 

 Benton, who were the first to import these 

 bees direct, the scientific apiarists owe a 

 debt of gratitude that can never be paid. 



Aside from the aid they have been to 

 scientific investigation, they have quali- 

 ties, which, in my opinion, can be made 

 available in an increased production of 

 honey. I have found the Cyprian queens 

 wonderfully prolific, and the workers very 

 industrious. True, they have some ugly 

 traits of character— they are most ex- 

 cellent lighters when provoked, but, with 

 a proper application of smoke and care and 

 gentleness in opening the hive, avoiding 

 all sudden jars, I can work among them 

 as easily as with the Italians. During the 

 past season I have found that in a few 

 generations they lose, to a very great de- 

 gree, their fiery temperament, and become 

 more like the Italians in disposition. 



Of late years much attention lias been 

 paid to secure bees with long tongues, and 

 the microscope has been brought into re- 

 quisition to determine their length. The 

 major portion of all such experiments 

 signally fail to give satisfactorily results, 

 from the fact that the observations are 

 either made upon dead muscle, or when 

 the muscles of the tongue are in a passive 

 condition. The length may thus he cor- 

 rectly determined, but it fails to give the 

 degree of working capacity of this organ 

 when in a "state of action." Therefore, 

 only such experiments that seek to meas- 

 ure the distance the tongue of the living 

 bee can pass down the corolla of the 

 flower, will prove of any advantage to bee- 

 keepers. 



In order to secure some definite results 

 in this matter, I have constructed a small 

 instrument which I call (for the want of a 

 better name) a linguameter. This instru- 

 ment contains a cup to hold diluted honey, 

 a float, and a dial of 32ds of an inch. 

 The bee's tongue passes down to the food 

 through meshes of % of an inch, formed 

 by very fine wire. As the honey in the 

 cup is taken up, the float descends, and 

 marks the distance on the dial. It is not 

 claimed for this instrument to give the 

 actual length of the tongue, only its reach- 

 ing capacity through a given sized aper- 

 ture. Six colonies each of black bees, 

 imported Italians, home-bred Italians and 

 Cyprians were tested with this instrument 

 with the following result : 



The blacks aggregated 43 32 inches ; two 

 colonies reached 6,^- 33 each; three, 7-32 

 each, and one went 8-32. The imported 

 Italians aggregated 45-32 ; three colonies 

 went 7-32 each, and three 8-32 each. My 

 home-bred Italians summed 48 32; one 

 colony readied 7-32 ; three colonies 8-32 

 each, and two went 8}<-32 each. The Cyp- 

 rians aggregated 49 32 ; tour reached 8-32 

 each, and two went 83^-32 each. One col- 

 ony of Syrians (queen from Mr. Jones) 

 was tested with a result of 8-33. 



While these experiments do not show as 

 great a difference in the reaching capacity 

 of the tongues of these varieties of bees as 

 many persons might suppose, they demon- 

 strate the fact, other conditions being the 

 same, that the Cyprians and Italians have 

 the ability to collect the most honey. 

 During the past season, with me, the Cyp- 

 rians have been ahead as honey gather- 

 ers, the Italians next. 



In the geographical distribution of the 

 yellow varieties of apis melilica, we find 

 them all to be confined to certain districts 

 lying between the 24th and 46th degrees of 

 north latitude of the eastern hemisphere. 

 If we look for these districts or sections of 

 country upon the map, we will find them 

 to be generally isolated, and hemmed in 

 by water, desert or mountains, which 

 would make communication with outside 

 countries dangerous and difficult for the 

 migration of insects. We also find that 

 these countries or districts do not gener- 

 ally abound in a great abundance of honey 

 producing plants, that in some seasons 

 honey is scarce, and great exertion is re- 

 quired in order to get a subsistence. We 

 also further find, as the country becomes 

 more expansive, more easy of access, with 

 a greater honey-producing flora, that the 

 yellow bee gradually becomes emerged 

 into the black bee, and thus we find this 

 variety common in every portion of En- 

 rope, excepting a very small part of Swit- 

 zerland, the major portion of Italy, and 

 the whole of Greece. 



Egypt, no doubt, was one of the first 

 countries after Palestine that was popula- 

 ted by both man and the honey bee. Com- 



mercial relations wen? early established 



hetw ii these two countries. In the book 



id Genesis, we are told that Jacob sent 

 his sous down into Egypt to buy corn, and 

 ordered them to take along a little honey. 

 As there was a trade in honey, it is safe i» 

 infer that there was a knowledge of tin' 

 insect that gathered the honey. In this 

 circumscribed country, bounded to within 

 some 80 miles on the east by the Red Sea, 

 on the south by the Nubian desert, on the 

 west by Libyan desert, and on the north 

 by the Mediterranean Sea, the Palestine 

 bee was modified in characteristics by the 

 different pasturage and influences brought 

 to bear upon it. 



We are told by ancient history, that the 

 honey bee was first carried from Egypt 

 into Greece by Cadmus. Here, attention 

 was paid to its culture ; the learned scien- 

 tists of those days spent years in studying 

 its economy, and volumes were written 

 describing its natural history. Honey and 

 wax became a large article of traffic. Here, 

 climatic agencies and other influences 

 brought to bear upon it through long ages, 

 changed its Egyptian peculiarities. 



This modified bee was carried by the 

 Romans into Italy, and in the most 'isola- 

 ted districts of that country maintained, 

 with possibly some modification of type, 

 its characteristics. The best marked Ital- 

 ians are found in the northern provencies. 

 The yellow bees, most likely of Egyptian 

 origin, are found in the northern part of 

 Africa, in those countries bordering the 

 Mediterranean, and in Nubia. 



Cyprians, beyond doubt, are descendants 

 of the Syrians, modified and changed by 

 Isolation on the Island of Cyprus, which is 

 located in the eastern portion of the Med- 

 iterranean, some 80 miles from Palestine. 



The black or German bee has spread 

 with European emigration into nearly 

 every portion of the world. It was intro- 

 duced, it is believed, into Pennsylvania 

 from Germany about the year 1627, and 

 was transported to South America in 1845. 

 It can now be found in South Africa, West 

 Indies, Sandwich Islands, New Zealand 

 and Australia. 



As the black bee is so widely scattered, 

 placed under so many climatic influences, 

 and subjected to such a diversity of for- 

 age, it would be most desirable to secure 

 specimens from all the extreme parts for 

 comparison. Such comparison and exam- 

 ination might throw further light upon 

 the mysterious process of modification of 

 characteristics ; for with all our study of 

 the nativity and his,tory of the honey bee, 

 there will always be left something still 

 for future study. 



In conclusion, I will observe that in my 

 judgment, if the ideal bee "apis Ameri- 

 cana" is ever materialized, it can only be 

 accomplished by a rigid system of eclectic 

 breeding of the varieties of apis melifica 

 now at our command. To make such 

 breeding a success, we must have a stand- 

 ard of attainment to govern it. Without 

 such standard, the breeder would be no 

 better than a blind man groping his way 

 in the dark. Science, intelligence, good 

 sense, order, system, and never failing in- 

 dustry must play prime factors. The 

 breeding stock, both male and female, 

 must be selected with the best of judg- 

 ment ; the queen cells must be developed 

 under the verv best possible conditions, 

 not in a little 5x6 inch nuclei with a hand- 

 ful of bees, but in colonies with not less 

 than several quarts of bees of the right 

 age to do such work. Every under-sized 

 and defective cell should be rejected. 



The bee-keeper who seeks to grasp this 

 ideal bee by his own culture, must take no 

 stock in the absurd doctrine ot the " sur- 

 vival of the fittest." Your improved breeds 

 of horses, your short-horned cattle, your 

 fine breeds of sheep and hogs, your fancy 

 breeds of poultry, were never brought 

 about by tin "survival of the fittest," and 

 they allowed to "paddle thelrnwn canoe." 

 What has been done by stock breeders has 

 been accomplished by a most careful sys- 

 tem of selection and management, backed 

 by untiring industry and perseverance. 

 . — i » ■ — • 



igg" The Michigan State Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, will convene at Bat- 

 tle Creek, on Thursday, Dec. 8, 1881. 

 We have reason to expect one of the 

 largest and most interesting meetings 

 we have ever held. Let all arrange 

 to be present. All District Associa- 

 tions should send delegates. Each per- 

 son should come with their best ex- 

 perience in their hands, ready to hand 

 it over to the others of the fraternity. 

 Commutation rates are expected on 

 railroads. A. J. Cook, Pres. 



T. F. Bingham, Sec. 



g^" A meeting will be held at Win- 

 terset, Iowa, on Thursday, Nov. 3, 

 1881, to organize a District Convention. 

 All the apiarists of the vicinity, as 

 well as from other States, are cordially 

 iinvited. A. J. Adkison, 



