1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



403 



Michigan State Convention. 



The 16th annual meeting of the 

 Michigan state Bee-Keepers 1 Society, 

 was held at Battle Creek, Mich., on 

 Dec B, 9, 1881. L'res. Prof. A. J. Cook 

 in the chair. The Secretary not hav- 

 ing arrived, Mr. II. 1). Cutting was 

 appointed Secretary protem., who read 

 the following on 



How to Maintain the Pnrity of Italian Bees. 



The superiority of the Italian bee 



over our native black or German bee 

 is so well established, and so well 

 known, that it would be superfluous 

 for me to speak of any of their good 

 qualities. 



The introduction of the Cyprian and 

 Syrian bees has also proven that the 

 Italians are the best bee known to the 

 American apiarist, and we doubt that 

 they have any superiors in the world, 

 or any equal to them. All we have to 

 do is to maintain their purity and im- 

 prove their good qualities to the high- 

 est standard of excellence. 

 How shall we accomplish this? 

 It is generally admitted that Italians 

 are not a fixed race. This is well es- 

 tablished by the irregular markings of 

 the queens and drones, and I have no 

 doubt there are different grades of 

 purity among them, as I have had 

 Italians breed uniform queens and 

 workers, but very irregular in the 

 markings of their drones. I have had 

 other colonies of Italians that gave no 

 uniformity in any of their progeny, 

 the workers having3to5yellow bands. 

 These are the most prolific breeders 

 and the greatest swarmers. 



As to the breeding of Italians to the 

 standard of purity— three or more yel- 

 low stripes, is quite easily managed 

 where only blacks and Italians and 

 their hybrids abound, as we can con- 

 tinually supersede all queens thatpro- 

 duce workers with less than three yel- 

 low stripes. 



In the parts of our country where 

 the Cyprian and Syrian bees have been 

 introduced, Italians cannot be bred 

 pure with my degree of certainty, as 

 those races of bees are said to be about 

 the color of ordinary Italians, or per- 

 haps yellower. 



If they are (as some assert) more 

 yellow than the ordinary Italian, we 

 could not condemn an Italian queen 

 because she produced workers with 

 more than three yellow bands, because 

 Italians with 3 to 5 striped workers 

 were plenty in this country before the 

 introduction of yellow bees into this 

 country or Italy. 



I would recommend that all parties 

 having those new races of yellow bees, 

 at once completely supersede them by 

 the best strain of Italians which they 

 had before they introduced those 

 races, or by purchasing breeding 

 queens from reliable breeders where 

 they have not been introduced. To 

 all others I would recommend the lat- 

 ter course. 



What are we to do about imported 

 queens from Italy ? I understand 

 those new yellow bees are introduced 

 there. If we import queens from It- 

 aly, we shall experience the same dif- 

 ficulty in testing their purity that we 

 have in breeding them together here. 

 I would urge our Italian friends to 

 at once supersede th ose new races of 

 bees, as I have just recommended our 

 Americans to do, and I think, or hope, 

 they will not have mucli demand for 

 their queens in America. The intro- 

 duction of those new races of bees 

 has proven anything but a blessing to 

 the apiarists of America. I am not 

 disappointed ; I expected no better 

 results. 



Now if we expect to maintain purity 

 in our noble Italians, we must procure 

 our breeding queens from the best 

 sources possible in this country or 

 Italy. 



By proper care in selecting our 

 breeding stock, we may not only keep 



our Italians pure, but improve their 

 already superior qualities. 

 Palo, Mich. s. K. Maksit. 



Prof. Cook thought that this judg- 

 ment was too hasty, as the good quali- 

 ties of the Cyprians and Syrians should 



not be overlooked, lie thought that 

 Mr. Jones had done a great thing for 

 the bee-keepers, in giving them an 

 opportunity to compare the different 

 races. 



Mr. Ilaikes had three varieties, and 

 preferred the Syrians, but was not yet 

 ready to pronounce decidedly in their 

 favor. 



Mr. Cobb offered a resolution that 

 the Convention disapprove of the sen- 

 timent expressed in Mr. Marsh's pa- 

 per. Carried. 



Mr. D. A. Jones then addressed the 

 Convention as follows, on 



The New Races of Bees. 

 Years ago I became convinced that 

 black bees were inferior to Italians, 

 and as I was always determined to 

 have the best, I purchased from many 

 of the best and most noted American 

 breeders and importers ; I also im- 

 ported, myself, and while the black 

 bees appeared to be a pure race, the 

 Italians appeared to differ greatly in 

 many respects. I found that I could 

 select and breed in almost any direc- 

 tion, especially dark and light; that 

 there were great differences in color 

 and quality; that there must be a mix- 

 ture somewhere, and that the Italians 

 were not a pure race ; although supe- 

 rior to black bees, I found as much 

 difference in their wintering qualities 

 as I did in their honey gathering qual- 

 ities, or strength of colonies. Hear- 

 ing that the Cyprians were a superior 

 race, and seeing no chance of securing 

 them in their purity otherwise, I de- 

 cided to shoulder the responsibility of 

 importing them, and employed Mr. 

 Frank Benton of your State (who is 

 well and favorably known to many of 

 you as a reliable and enthusiastic bee- 

 keeper), then, going personally to 

 Europe, Asia and Africa, enduring 

 much hardship and at great expense, 

 succeeded in landing safely in Amer- 

 ica, Cyprian and Syrian bees in their 

 purity. The first season I did Hottest 

 them sufficiently to decide their quali- 

 ties thoroughly , yet I was much pleased 

 with them. 



Being absent from home so long in 

 the East, and then having my islands 

 to select and breeding establishments 

 to arrange, and then I was too busy 

 to give them as close attention as I 

 would have liked to, but as I keep 

 trained and thoroughly practical bee 

 men and close observers, I was as- 

 sisted much in noting their character- 

 istics. We first observed their won- 

 derful proliticness over Italians or 

 blacks; in fact, the Syrian queens 

 lay an incredible number of eggs in a 

 day. I was more favorably impressed 

 with the Syrian bees than the Cyp- 

 rians, even in Palestine, as I found 

 them there traveling such incredible 

 distances for honey, although the Cyp- 

 rians will travel much longer distan- 

 ces for honey than the Italians or 

 blacks, besides, they fly much faster. 

 The Syrian bees will fly as far, 

 empty themselves and return for 

 another load in about 13 minutes, as 

 Italians or blacks do in 17 minutes, 

 and Cyprians are not much behind 

 them in speed of flight ; besides being 

 swift in flight, they are less liable to 

 be knocked about by storms and wind; 

 they are more sensitive, or possess 

 greater knowledge of atmospheric 

 changes, and return to their hives be- 

 fore the storms with wonderful rapid- 

 ity and exactness. 



I was unable the first season, owing 

 to my late arrival from the East, to 

 test "their honey gathering qualities 

 fully, but found them breeding four 

 times as much as others late in the 

 season, and yet kept their hives stored 

 with as much and more honey than 

 others, thus showing their ability to 

 gather sufficient for extensive brood- 

 rearing and storing equal to others. 



Now, as winter appeared, I placed 

 one small colony of the Syrian bees in 

 a hive, and two stronger ones in a way 



that their wintering qualities out- 

 doors might receive a severe test, 

 arranging Cyprians, Italians, hybrids 

 and blacks in a way that I might note 

 facts. Now for the results : A black 

 colony, by far the strongest, wintered 

 worse; hybrids and Italians about 

 equal ; Cyprians wintered better than 

 Italians, hybrids or blacks, and Syrians 

 better than the Cyprians. Now, one 

 swallow does not make a summer, nor 

 one test form proof positive, in my 

 (minion. Xow for spring : I found 

 them last spring building up stronger 

 and earlier than any others. One 

 quart of Cyprians or Syrians, espe- 

 cially the latter, will build up and be 

 stronger when white clover blooms, 

 than 3 pints or 2 quarts of black or 

 Italian bees, in fact, they spread out 

 and breed so fast that if a cold night 

 occurs, the entrances should beclosed 

 to prevent the brood from chilling. 

 Now this year has more firmly con- 

 vinced me of their ability to gather 

 large quantities of honey. If they can 

 gather more honey, besides breeding 

 doubly as much, does that not prove 

 that if their honey was not used in 

 brood rearing, they would nearly 

 double their rivals in honey gathering? 

 There is no trouble in coaxing them 

 into the boxes for box honey. They 

 will gladly welcome any place where 

 they can carry the honey out of the 

 way of the brooding ; they will work 

 in boxes and sections when no others 

 will ; they build more queen cells and 

 care better for them than either Ital- 

 ians or blacks. 



In one instance I recollect, a colony 

 that I took from Mount Lebanon, car- 

 ried it to the coast in a water jug, and 

 thence by steamer to Larnaca (my 

 Cyprus apiary), and, to my astonish- 

 ment, I found in the native hive when 

 I went to transfer it, no less than 60 

 young queens all crawling about lively 

 in the hive, and about 180 nice, large 

 queen cells just ready to hatch, show- 

 ing that they must have constructed 

 nearly 250 large, fine and well-devel- 

 oped queen cells. They worked well 

 on red clover this year, and would al- 

 most stand on their heads trying to 

 press their proboscis down further to 

 get the honey from the bottom of the 

 clover tubes. They have no equals as 

 energetic workers, and are both moth 

 and robber proof. I have a very large 

 number of Syrians and Cyprians, both 

 imported and home bred wintering, 

 and will carefully note results. They 

 are more sensitive and require care in 

 handling, for, if aroused, they show 

 the same energy that they do in other 

 respects — not to be beaten. 



I had one colony of Cyprians that 

 was decidedly cross, and on two oc- 

 casions after they were aroused by 

 improper management, they forced 

 me to walk away from the hive until 

 they settled down. I had from 2 to 300 

 colonies in my home apiary in the very 

 center of the town, and on the corner 

 facing the two principal streets, with 

 nearly all the stores facing my bee 

 yard, and also a hotel— the bees within 

 30 feet of both main streets, and mil- 

 lions flying over the heads of people 

 and horses passing, and I have not 

 known one instance where any one 

 was stung. 



Thus far my preference is for the 

 Syrian bees over all others ; they are 

 more prolific, wonderful breeders, 

 superior honey gatherers, and so far, 

 have stood the winter best. 



Mr. A. I. Boot said that there is a 

 great diversity of 'opinion concerning 

 the new bees, but they are gaining in 

 favor. They are exceedingly prolific, 

 and very good honey gatherers. 



Mr. Harrington's experience with 

 the Syrians was similar to the last 

 speaker's. He had found that queens 

 fill a comb before leaving it. They 

 would not attack if not disturbed ; 

 young queens are very active. 



Mr. Jones. The Syrians are'so rapid 

 in their motions that they are difficult 

 to introduce to colonies of other vari- 

 eties. Fertile workers are more often 

 found in colonies from queens that had 

 themselves been good layers. 



Mr. A. B. Weed then gave the fol- 

 lowing address on 



Shall We Continue to Import Italian Queens? 



I assume that the same laws under- 

 lie the breeding of bees as of other an- 

 imals, and since our knowledge of 



facts relating to the breeding of bees 

 is limited, 1 will draw conclusions, 

 based in a measure upon the broader 

 bases of the recognized laws of stock 

 breeding. 



The most easily understood of these 

 laws is "like produces like." All 

 through the realms of nature there 

 seems to be a constant struggle be- 

 tween uniformity and variety. We 

 never find two of anything exactly 

 alike, although their general charac- 

 teristics may be the same. At fust 

 sight it seems as if nature was at var- 

 iance with herself, but investigation 

 shows that her laws are working in 

 harmony, and if understood may be 

 controlled. Their apparent discord is 

 explained, the influences at work, the 

 obstacles to be overcome, and the ob- 

 jects to be attained are understood. 



To understand the elements which 

 go to make up an animal, it is neces- 

 sary to know, not only its parents, but 

 their ancestors also. -The further 

 back our information extends, the 

 more satisfactory it is. The progeni- 

 tors of an animal vary, and the ani- 

 mal may resemble any one of them. 

 In case it does not resemble its im- 

 mediate parent, but is like a remote 

 ancestor, it is called a sport. Here 

 we see nature following the law of 

 uniformity, and yet its effect is some- 

 times variation. This resemblance to 

 a remote ancestor, or ativatism, as it 

 is called, is one of the most important 

 factors in scientific breeding. It can 

 be readily seen that the larger the pro- 

 portion of progenitors we have in a 

 pedigree which have the traits we are 

 endeavoring to obtain, the greater 

 will be our success. Pedigree is the 

 main dependence of the breeder ; it is 

 variation which gives opportunity to 

 make selection of breeding stock. 



It is here that the skill of the breeder 

 is especially required, and it is upon 

 this that his success largely depends. 

 Whether selection had best be made 

 by the breeder, or the mating of ani- 

 mals be left to their own choice, there 

 seems to be a difference of opinion. 

 By some, it is held that by the latter 

 process, the poorer specimens will be 

 culled out, and only the superior ones 

 left to perpetuate the race. This the- 

 ory almost recommends itself at first 

 sight ; but upon careful search, I can 

 find nothing to support it ; the burden 

 of evidence is opposed to it. In every 

 instance, as far as I can find, a care- 

 fully bred animal is superior to its 

 prototype in the wild state. I think 

 that the reason of this fact, if it is a 

 fact, is that man selects more care- 

 fully than does nature, and with a 

 definite aim ; and his choice breeding 

 stock is guarded from accidents. Also 

 when an advance is made it is re- 

 tained. Man selects more closely 

 than does nature. When she has a 

 hundred specimens, she rejects per- 

 haps half of them. In a similar case, 

 man would use but a single one. If 

 the queens which are to stock our 

 hives are to be carefully bred, and not 

 taken at random, the question follows, 

 who shall breed them ? 



It is generally held by breeders that 

 the proof of long-continued, careful 

 breeding, is to be found in a unifor- 

 mity of offspring ; also that a diversi- 

 fied progeny indicates a diversified 

 ancestory. If this test were applied 

 to the queens which we receive from 

 Italy, it would show them to have 

 black blood, and to be the result of 

 careless breeding. There are breed- 

 ers among us whose queens are uni- 

 formity good and well-marked. In 

 every instance, as far as I can find, 

 these men have kept the same strain 

 of blood for a series of years, and made 

 careful selection in each generation. 

 There are apiarists with whom I am 

 acquainted, who would not breed from 

 a queen that was not better than most 

 of those imported. 



It is sometimes said that we must 

 continue to import only until the ma- 

 jority of the drones throughout the 

 country are of the desired race. Even 

 if it were not true that we can rear 



