42 ITALIAN BEES. 



brood is brought to me, in determining whether the eggs 

 were laid by an Italian or native queen. 



Another reason why they are more prolific, is, that they 

 venture out in cool, spring Weather, bringing in both 

 water and pollen, when the natives are less energetic. Of 

 this, I shall speak further in connection with other points. 

 If taken from winter quarters too early in spring, theii 

 disposition prompts them to great activity, and they ven- 

 ture out and are lost, which accounts for their suffering 

 more largely by wasting in spring, than the natives. 



Swarm Earlier and Oftener. — The fact that they are 

 more prolific, indicates that they will become populous 

 earlier in the season, and this being the prime requisite 

 for early swarms, it readily follows that they may be ex- 

 pected to swarm earlier. It is noticeable that, whatever 

 the variety, those that swarm soonest also swarm of tenest. 

 With the present advanced system of management, where 

 swarming is not desired, this tendency is not itself an 

 advantage, but the condition that gives us a large num- 

 ber of bees, is of much importance. We thus secure a 

 large force available when swarming is controlled. 



Work Earlier and Later, gather more Honey, and Worh 

 on Blossoms that the Natives do not. — This, doubtless, 

 may be the case at times. We have had Italian swarms 

 fill boxes with white honey, not storing a cell of dark, 

 when, at the same time, the natives were working exclu- 

 sively on Buckwheat; that plant yields honey only in the 

 early part of the day, and such swarms of Italians will be 

 found at work much more freely in the afternoon than the 

 others. 



It is in the nature of the bee that, when honey is 

 abundant, all bees will improve all their time, even fre- 

 quently leaving the hive so late at night, that they do not 

 return until the next morning, if fortunate enough to do 

 so at all. That Italians do work upon some kinds of 

 blossoms more freely than natives, as upon the Bed 



