A. AND M. COLLEGE APIARY. 19 



Italians. Throughout, the bee has been the warning of the advance of 

 civilization, invariably preceding the white settler by many miles. The 

 appearance of a swarm of bees, in the early days, was considered by the 

 Indians as an invariable sign of the white man's approach and signified 

 to them the ultimate loss of their hunting grounds. The Black or Ger- 

 man bee is too familiar to need any detailed description, suffice to say 

 that in many cases colonies are found that equal in honey-producing 

 ability any of the other races, and while, as a rule, their production does 

 not average as high as that of the Italians, it is not advisable for the aver- 

 age bee keeper to dispose of individual colonies of black bees which make 

 good or exceptional crops of honey. 



Carniolans. These bees at first sight appear much like the black bees, 

 but close examination shows them to be more of a gray color and to have 

 the rings of the abdomen a marked light gray. They are about the same 

 size as the Blacks, the drones, if anything, being larger than those of the 

 Blacks, and most decidedly larger than the Italian drones. The workers, 

 and to a more marked extent the drones, have a gray pubescence or hairy 

 covering over the thorax ; and in the case of the drones covering also the 

 under side of the abdomen, except on the median line. The Carniolans 

 are noted for their docility and can be handled in the majority of cases 

 without a veil or even without smoke. They sting but rarely and show a 

 remarkably constant temperament. Mr. A. I. Eoot, however, reports the 

 case of a colony which was fully as vindictive as the Cyprians. The 

 same authority states that they gather but little propolis. Our personal 

 observations bear out this fact, but there also seems to be a somewhat 

 greater inclination to build brace combs, even when the frames are cor- 

 rectly spaced. This, however, is not a serious objection. In capping 

 honey the Carniolans are superior to any other race, making thin caps of 

 snowy whiteness. This is a decided point in their favor as it improves 

 the marketable appearance of the product, especially in the case of sec- 

 tion honey. In this respect the Carniolans are closely followed by the 

 Blacks. The Carniolans are noted for their swarming propensities, and 

 if this swarming impulse should prove to be uncontrollable, it would be 

 a serious objection to them, as overswarming is most detrimental to the 

 production of surplus honey. Mr. G-. F. Davidson, of Floresville, Texas, 

 however, reports that he can control swarming with this race as well as 

 with other races by means of the "shook-swarm" method, which will be 

 discussed later. The Carniolans have several times been tried in the 

 North and East and have in most cases been abandoned as presenting no 

 advantages over the Italians. They are at present being tested by several 

 expert Texas bee keepers and the results thus far have been gratifying. 

 While this or any other race may be found totally unadapted to Northern 

 or Eastern conditions, the much different climate and conditions of honey 

 flow prevailing in parts of our State may prove them to be of much value. 



Cyprians. In color and general appearance these much resemble Ital- 

 ians, but on the average are somewhat smaller and have a more glistening 

 appearance, especially when exposed to direct sunlight. They are excel- 

 lent honey gatherers, but have the drawback of a very excitable tempera- 

 ment. In fact, their distinguishing characteristics lie not in appearance, 

 but in their actions. Always nervous and easily aroused to battle, they 

 must be handled with but a minimum amount of smoke, and with even, 

 almost slow, movements. The jarring of a frame against the hive, or 



