80 PEACTICAL BEE-KEEPING. 



those above them. The recommendation to transfer three weeks after 

 swarming has its advantages, but is not without its dangers. The 

 brood will all have hatched out, but the combs will generally be heavy 

 with honey, so that they will be not a whit more easy to handle ; and if 

 the queen has not obtained fertilization — quite a possibility at this date 

 — we may take up the skep at the moment of her absence, and cause her 

 loss. Four or five days after transferring, it is desirable to clean the 

 bottom board, as a considerable amount of Aihris is thrown down in the 

 process of repairing and refitting. 



The Ligmrian, or more properly the Alp bee, with its beautiful yellow 

 bands, strong whitish pubescent rings, and gracefully modelled abdomen 

 has not wanted for champions who have again and again asserted its vast 

 superiority over our more sombre hued variety ; nor has the latter been left 

 altogether without defenders, who may, we think, fairly claim that blaokbees 

 properly handled, in this country at least, achieve results certainly not far 

 behiud those placed to the credit of its rival. A lengthened observation of 

 the two is evidently needed before a conclusion of any value can be arrived 

 at. We are of opinion that the Ligurian (Apis Ugustica) is much more 

 prolific than the black (Apis mellifica), and that it is ready for swarming 

 earlier, advantages of no mean weight ; but we have failed to note that 

 greater strength of constitution in the foreigner which some assert. 

 We also think the preference given to imported queens a mistake on more 

 grounds than one. Sometimes, undoubtedly, the Italian dealers raise 

 these mothers in very small hives, with but few bees, and as a result the 

 queens are weak and fade early ; we have seen such scarcely larger than 

 workers. The transit occupying many days generally reduces the " royal 

 prisoners" to a very poor condition, and this necessarily for a time, 

 probably permanently, injures the constitution. Imported queens, althov^h 

 often of fine quality, are, foir the reasons given, not, on am, average, equal, 

 from the utiUta/ria/n, point of view, to those Ligurians raised at home, 

 which ought to be always the progeny of the best stocks in the apiary 

 (see " Artificial Swarming "), while they are bred in the midst of a strong 

 population, from eggs laid by a. mother very actively ovipositing, and 

 have no subsequent check. If pure impregnation be obtained, or a mis- 

 aBiance occur, the bees resulting are always excellent as honey gatherers ; 

 in the latter case they are even better than in the former, although 

 sesthetically and in temper much inferior. 



The black bee hardly now exists, everywhere he has been improved by 

 foreign blood, In 1874 in a most isolated moorland in Northumberland, 

 where frame hives were unknown, but where little skeps abound, we 

 failed to find a pure specimen of the English variety. 



Previous diopters have alreadTy shown the advantage of having at 

 command fertile queens. To facilitate the operation of raising these we 

 introduced our dividing frame by means of which small hives with Httle 



