FOREIGN BEES. i6i 



where the Drones, either from one's own or neighbours' 

 hives, are English Bees, becomes difficult, and the 

 chances are very much against it. Two or three plans 

 may be adopted to secure this desirable result. Suppos- 

 ing one Ligurian stock is successfully established. 

 Queens in nuclei should be raised ; and if the raising of 

 Drones can be prevented in the other hives by cutting 

 out all Drone comb, or the Drones captured as they 

 leave the hive, then supposing the Ligurian stock has 

 plenty of Drones, there is a chance of the Queen's 

 mating with one of those ; but it is a poor chance should 

 black Drones abound from neighbours' hives ; however, 

 crossed or not, a young Queen should be placed at the 

 head of each stock ; and next year (it having been 

 abundantly proved that Drones are hatched from unim- 

 pregnated eggs) all the Drones in the Apiary will be pure 

 Ligurians. More Queens should then be reared, and 

 (the chance of proper impregnation being now much in- 

 creased) one should take the place of every Queen who 

 is discovered to have been breeding mongrels. But even 

 a mongrel stock is an improvement on the pure Blacks. 

 Although the first cross Italian is more irascible than 

 the Blacks or pure Italian, it is generally allowed by 

 persons of experience that as Workers they are superior 

 to either pure breed. Bees may be known to be 

 mongrel if they are not all alike. Stocks of pure Ligu- 

 rians vary in the brilliancy of their yellow bands, but all 

 in the hive will be found to be alike, whilst the Bees of 

 a crossed Queen will be found to vary, some with bright 

 bands, others scarcely to be distinguished from Blacks. 

 Plans have been practised either to breed Drones and 

 young Queens earlier or later in the year than those 

 naturally raised, and success is often attendant. In the 

 first case, a hive should be selected towards the middle 



M 



