ITALIAN- BEES. 39 



being reared in the vicinity of queen-cells, and partaking 

 of a small quantity of royal food ; by the fact that he had 

 fertile workers that were taken from a colony that had 

 never reared a queen. 



Personally, I have great interest in these physiological 

 investigations, but have preferred to carry out the original 

 design of this book, in dwelling chieflyupon the practical, 

 rather than the theoretical and scientific phases of the 

 subject. 



The natural history of the bee has been most ably pre- 

 sented by Prof. Cook, in his " Manual of the Apiary," 

 which I heartily commend to all who are interested in 

 that branch of apiarian science. 



CHAPTER II. 



ITALIAN BEES. 

 ITALIAN OR LIGtrKIAN BEES. 



It is only within the past twenty years that American 

 bee-keepers have known of the existence of any other than 

 GUI native, or dark-colored, bees. Classical scholars famil- 

 iar with Aristotle and Virgil, have doubtless read of the 

 different varieties described by them, but would scarcely 

 imagine that the beautiful golden bees of Virgil's song 

 have perpetuated their race in such purity, that their 

 descendants are to-day bred as a distinct variety in our 

 apiaries. 



Mr. Langstroth, in his valuable treatise, gives much 

 interesting information concerning the cultivation of the 

 Italian bees in Europe, to which I refer those curious 

 Qpon the subject. 



FIRST INTRODUCED IN AMERICA. 



EfEorts were made to import Italian bees to America In 



