14 PRACTICAL QUEEN REARING 



The story of the first importations is told by Mr. Richard 

 Colvin of Baltimore, in the Report of the Secretary of the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1863, as follows: 



The first attempt to import the Italian honey-bee into the United 

 States, it is believed, was made about the year 1855 by Messrs. Samuel 

 Wagner and Edward Jessup, of York, Pennsylvania; but in consequence 

 of inadequate provision for their safety on so long a voyage, they perished 

 before their arrival. 



In the winter of 1858-59 another attempt was made by Mr. Wagner, 

 Rev. L. L. Langstroth and myself. The order was placed in the hands 

 of the surgeon of the steamer (to whose charge the bees were to have been 

 committed on the return voyage), with instructions to transmit it to 

 Mr. Dzierzon on reaching Liverpool; but in consequence of his determin- 

 ing to leave the ship to engage in other service on his arrival at Bremen, 

 it was not done and the effort failed. Subsequently arrangements were 

 made by which, in the latter part of that year, we received seven living 

 queens. At the same time, and on board the same steamer, Mr. P. J. 

 Mahan, of Philadelphia, brought one or more queens, which were sup- 

 posed to be of doubtful purity. Only two or three young queens were 

 reared by us during that fall and winter, and in the following spring we 

 found all our imported stock had perished. 



In conjunction with Mr. Wagner I determined to make another 

 trial, and another order was immediately dispatched. The queens, 

 however, did not arrive until the following June. Meantime, about 

 the month of May, Mr. S. B. Parsons, of Flushing, Long Island, received 

 an importation of them from the northern part of Italy, some of the 

 progeny of which he placed in the hands of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, 

 Mr. W. W. Carey, Mr. M. Quinby, and other skilful apiarians, who with 

 Mr. C. W. Rose, a subsequent importer, and perhaps some others, have 

 bred and disseminated them pretty widely through our country." 



There was much interest in the new race, and, for a long 

 time, queens commanded from ten to twenty dollars each in 

 some cases. The late Charles Dadant was one of the early 

 breeders, who imported stock from Italy direct. 



The Italian has been bred in America on such an extensive 

 scale that various strains have been developed. The so-called 

 three banded or leather colored Italians are probably more 

 nearly typical than the goldens or five banded Italians. The 

 Italian bee from northern Italy has three yellow bands, with 

 pronounced bands of whitish or grey hair on each of the seg- 

 ments except the first and the last. It is a mild tempered bee, 

 usually being gentle and quiet under manipulation. Unlike 

 the blacks these bees cling closely to their combs, and the queen 

 will often continue her egg laying when the comb on which she 

 is working is removed from the hive and held up to the light. 



