204 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



October, 



four years residence in Carniola, dur- ported from the native land of this 

 ing which time I handled hundreds of wonderful new race, which, according 

 colonies, both in my own apiary and in to the claims of the advertiser, unites 

 native apiaries at all times of the sea- all the virtues that one could possibly 

 son, and under all imaginable condi- imagine as belonging to bees, with 

 tions, even at night, and during the none of their faults. As the writer 

 whole i^eriod never once used a happens to have been the first to call 



beeveil, nor 



need of it 



odd years during which I 



cultivated this race, I have never, 



when only pure Carniolans were in my 



felt seriously the attention to this new race of bees un- 



In all the twenty der the far more appropriate name of 



have Tunisian bees (Tunis being the native 



land of the race), and as he has had 



considerable experience with them in 



apiary, had occasion to use a beeveil Tunis, and also in several other coun- 



in their manipulation. I am cen'tain tries, he may be allowed to express an 



that I could not possiblj' manage even opinion as to their merits and demerits. 



a small apiai-y of Tunisians without The former are soon told, for the Tuni- 



restoriug to vast quantities of smoke, 

 and probably a beeveil — at least with 

 any degree of comfort. 

 The statement follows in Mr. 



sians (or Funics) are industrious and 

 prolific, somewhat more so than any 

 race of bees coming from Europe, but 

 rather less so than the eastern Mediter- 



Hewitt's article that the "Funics are rauean races (Cyprians, Syrians and 



just the bees to produce honey in the 



gi'eatest 



trouble." 



edly that they are excellent honey 



gatherers. The proof of that I found 



in the quantities stored by them in 



thek- native land, and with my tests 



Palestines). But their faults make a 

 quantity with the least list. They are small and very black;' 

 I have myself stated repeat- are spiteful stingers, as vindictive as 



the worst race known; bite in addition; 

 to stinging; are great propolizers, 

 daubing hives, sections, and combs 

 lavishly with "bee-glue;" they swarm 



with them in other countries. At the as much as do Carniolans, and winteu.' 



same time I pointed out that they were as poou'ly as do Palestines. Most peo- 



the very worst race that could possibly pie will think the genuine imported i 



be selected for the production of comb queens a trifle extravagant at $50 each, 



honey, as they were so lavish in the especially those who remember that. 



use of propolis as to disfigvu-e gi-eatly 

 the combs and sections, and also be- 



in 1885 and 1S8G, just such queens were 

 offered at from $4 to $10 each, direct 



cause they seal the honey so that it from Timis. northern Africa. Million-' 



presents a vei-y watery appearance, aires who keep bees will, of course^^ 



My experience does not at all verify the buy "Funic" queens at $50 each for all 



statement that the quantity of honey of their hives, although they wouldn't 



yielded by them is produced "with the look at Tunisians a few years since a| 



least trouble." for since they are really $4 to $ 



But the rest of us will pi 



rather bad tempered, spiteful bees, and on with bees whose queens cost us 

 since during the greater period of to $5 each, and that are chiefly note( 



manipulation a beeveil is required, as 

 well as great quantities of smoke, both 

 time and comfort are sacrificed in 

 obtaining the honey yield. 



for giving us honey, money, and please 

 ure in handling them." 



In the article under consideratior 

 there are further statements which 



I see no reason to change materially require criticism. Mr. Hewitt says oli 



the common East Indian honey beej 

 Apis indica, that "they will not on 

 any account accept any queen of an; 

 European race, and even if it could 

 done the queens could not lay eggs i 

 theifl* combs as the cells are too small.' 

 In the course of my work in CeylOD 

 with this species (indica) I had occa-t 

 sion to introduce a queen of the species 

 Apis mellifera to one of these colonies) 

 She was not expected to lay eggs 



the general statement of the qualities 

 of these bees which I gave in 1802 in 

 the American Farmer, then published 

 at Washington, D. C., and which was 

 quoted by Gleanings in Bee Culture for 

 July 1st, 1892. Vol. XX, No. 13, page 

 504. The paragraph is as follows: 



"Another race of bees has recently 

 been advertised under the name of 

 "Punic" bees, the queens having been 

 offered at from $1..50 to .$50 each. The 



former price is for unfertilized queens; the worker cells (Bfi to the square incl 



$5 is asked for fertilized queens. $10 if built by the Apis indica colony. 



purely mated, $40 if selected, and $50 eggs, however, to produce worker bed! 



for such as are said to have been im- of the species mellifera, were laid by 



