VARIETIES OF BEES. 69 



the Italian, the Egyptian, the Cyprian, the Syrian, the Palestine, the 

 Carniolan, and the Tunisian. Believing that the interest of the bee- 

 keepers in Kansas will be centered around the German bees, the 

 Italians, Carniolans, and Cyprians, I will speak in detail of these only. 



GERMAN BEES. 



The German or brown bee was the first bee brought into this 

 country. In the early settlements of North America these bees, after 

 introduction, went in advance of the settlers, notifying the Indians of 

 the encroachments of civilization. Thomas Jefferson, in his history of 

 Virginia, says that the natives called the honey-bee "the white man's 

 fly"; so the German bee not only established the first honey factories 

 in the United States, but also the first institutions of civilization in 

 many localities. 



This bee is a native of middle and northern Europe. The species 

 now among us is referred to as the black or brown bee. The charac- 

 teristics of this bee may be summed up as follows : It has a highly 

 irritable temper ; by some it is termed cross, in that it not infrequently 

 leaves the hive to attack a passer-by. This disposition varies some- 

 what with different strains. It is not a good neighbor, but frequently 

 quarrels with others in the bee village. When long under manipula- 

 tion it is liable to stampede, if such a term may be used, and the re- 

 sults of this turmoil may be, at least, disagreeable. It is not the best 

 defender against robbers, it is slow to learn a new locality, rather 

 slow in building up in the spring, easily discouraged. It is a good 

 honey gatherer, flies early, ranks high as a comb builder. For those 

 who market comb honey, this bee furnishes artistically white-capped 

 comb. Its irritable disposition frequently overshadows its commend- 

 able qualities and loses it many friends among the apiarists. 



CARNIOLAN BEES. 



The Carniolans may be considered the other extreme in disposi- 

 tion. They are notably gentle. In color they resemble the German 

 bee ; in structure, however, they are larger and more robust. The 

 rows of dense silvery white hairs on posterior portion of each of the 

 abdominal segments mark these bees distinctively. This bee seems 

 to obtain the good qualities of the German bee and none of the bad. 

 It is a good comb builder makes beautifully white-capped comb 

 This bee uses little propolis, winters well, is long-lived. While it is a 

 hard-working bee, a great accumulator of honey, it tends to swarm 

 frequently. This objectionable feature, however, can be controlled 

 by the intelligent apiarist. 



