THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



21 



which one colony feeds the l^irvae. But I 

 think that certain varieties of bees and 

 strains in them have constitutional weak- 

 nesses which tend to earlier death than 

 others. 



There is a good deal of dead brood com- 

 plained of that is not diseased. I have 

 seen some of this in my own colonies, and 

 much of it in the apiaries of others, and I 

 have yet to see any of this form of dead 

 brood in what 1 call the better strains or 

 varieties of bees. For years 1 have sought 

 to find it in Carniolan or Italian bees, but 

 failed, it is always found in those strains 

 in which black blood largely predominates. 

 1 know of more than one bee-keeper now 

 who is changing the strain of bees to do 

 away with this, and in one case at least 

 doing it after observing this feature in my 

 apiary. 1 do not say that these varieties 

 of bees prevent foul brood: but if a strain 

 of bee is more strongly constituted it can 

 resist more unfavorable conditions, just as 

 a strong or healthy person can throw off 

 tuburcular germs or other infectious diseas- 

 es when a more feeble person can not. It 

 may be that certain strains of bees are 

 more immune to the disease known as 

 foul brood. Such a strain, too, should 

 winter better, and withstand cold winds 

 in spring and live longer. Longevity is a 

 strong point. It takes three weeks of 

 care, attention, nursing, comb room, and 

 food to produce a bee, be she feebly con- 

 stituted or robust. If the life-time of a 

 bee is, in the active season, six or eight 

 weeks, and we can have a bee which will 

 live under the same conditions two weeks 

 longer than another, which, from my ob- 

 servations I believe we can, then we have 

 in this point alone a great difference in 

 the amount of honey two colonies can 

 gather under the same conditions. 



Some colonies, without robbing, will 

 continue to gather surplus when others 

 are getting no more than is sufficient for 

 their own requirements. 1 have noticed 

 this particularly at the latter end of a 

 flow. Colonies that appeared to do alike 

 during a good flow would vary greatly in 

 a poor flow. Probable reasons may be 

 given; but how few recognize even the 

 fact ! Then it is markedly the case that 

 one colony will be bringing in light honey 

 when the other is bringing in dark. In a 

 general way 1 have noticed this difference 

 between blacks and Italians. Some bees 

 stop breeding almost the moment the 

 honey-flow ceases. Such bees in many 

 districts are difficult to build up in the 

 early part of the season. Others go to 

 the extreme of breeding too long after the 

 flow ceases. The one trait is about as 

 objectionable as the other. Some bees 



are easily irritated, and a continual an- 

 noyance when handled. Some are made 

 so by improper handling. There was a 

 time when 1 thought such a bee might 

 have other favorable traits which could 

 not be secured separate from natural 

 irritability; but after more than 25 years 

 experience I know that such is not the 

 case. 



It is well known that some bees are 

 more inclined to swarm than others. We 

 can control this to a greater extent than 

 formerly; but it is a dangerous trait for 

 the average bee-keeper to deal with, and 

 this trait must, with all our modern im- 

 provements, be a leading consideration in 

 selection. I have colonies of bees which 

 are of about the same spring strength, 

 side by side in the same apiary. Some 

 breed up faster, of course consume more 

 honey in breeding, yet they actually have 

 more surplus honey right along, and there- 

 fore do much better work. But too large 

 a percentage, if in the least neglected, for 

 room or ventilation, swarm or get the 

 swarming impulse. Bees should be weighed 

 full and empty, and their loads compared. 

 Efforts should be made to compare th3 

 time they take to load. The degree and 

 duration of cold to which they can be sub- 

 jected, and yet survive, should be tested. 

 The way in which they guard and defend 

 their hive is important. 



In some strains or varieties of bees we 

 find frequently the work of the moth larva, 

 while others rarely have such. 



The degree to which bees ripen honey 

 under apparently similar conditions ap- 

 pears to vary. J. H. Shaver, Cainsville, 

 Ont., first drew my attention to this. The 

 variation in capping is well known, and 

 important, as is also, to a less degree, the 

 amount of propolis they gather. Take it 

 all in all (and I have enumerated only a 

 few points), there is a large and useful 

 field right here which, in my estimation, 

 experiment stations can best invade and 

 cultivate. Let us, upon these and other 

 points along the same line, set ourselves 

 to thinking seriously, and good to the in- 

 dustry is bound to result. 



After we have decided what are the 

 desirable qualities, the manner of secur- 

 ing thsm is another great problem. I may 

 say this mucn, however, nothing, or not 

 much, can be accomplished by buying 

 queens here and there year aft3r. Get 

 the best possible stock, that comes the 

 nearest to your ideal, then practice 

 selection, year after year. I know of 

 nothing better to do. 



