98 OCCUPANTS OF THE HIVE 



better to prevent breeding them in the first place, as the food 

 provided in rearing them together with the labor of the nurse 

 bees is all lost. Combs composed largely of drone cells should 

 either be used as extracting combs above a queen excluder or else 

 rendered into wax and replaced with sheets of foundation. The 

 productive bee-keeper can ill afford to divide his profits with 

 useless drones. 



RACES OF BEES 



Italians. — ^While there are a considerable number of races 

 of bees, those commonly known in this country are all that need 

 be considered in a work of this kind. First and foremost among 

 them may be mentioned the Italian, which is generally recog- 

 nized as the most valuable under the conditions of this coiintry. 

 These bees have become so widely distributed in many parts 

 of the country that together with their crosses, commonly spoken 

 of as hybrids, they are about the only bees to be found in many 

 localities. 



There is considerable difference in the appearance of the 

 various strains of Italians. The three banded strains are usually 

 regarded as more desirable, although the goldens are highly 

 regarded as well. 



Pure Italians are usually very gentle, are more resistent of 

 disease, especially European foul brood, than other races, and 

 also repel the wax moth much more effectively. 



These bees have been tried imder so many conditions, by so 

 many bee-keepers all over the country, that they may well be 

 regarded as entitled to first place in popular esteem. 



Cyprians. — For a time the Cyprians were quite the rage. 

 They came from the island of Cyprus. They resemble the Ital- 

 ians, but are much more difficult to control. In fact they are so 

 cross that most bee-keepers have discarded them, and queens of 

 this race are seldom offered for sale. 



Common Black or German Bees. — This seems to have been 

 the original stock first imported into America, and which became 



