ITALIAN BEES. 45 



cells fuller, and cap them over directly against tlic honey, 

 giving the surface a watery appearance ; while the na- 

 tives leave a little unfilled place which causes the cap- 

 ping to appear whiter. The difference is so marked that 

 an expert can usually tell, by examining a box of honey, 

 by which variety of bees it was stored. While this pe- 

 culiarity of the Italians may affect the appearance of box- 

 honey, I conceive that it is an advantage where the honey 

 is stored in combs for winter, as this complete filling of 

 the cells entirely excludes every panicle of air. 



More Peaceable tvhile ieing Handled. — That the pure 

 Italians are more agreeable to handle, I believe there is 

 no room to dispute. The search for a queen, will con- 

 vince the most prejudiced of the truth of this assertion. 

 The Italians, both queen and workers, will remain quietly 

 upon the combs, while the natives are much more easily 

 disturbed. 



I prefer the Italians, when extracting, yet the fact that 

 they cling so closely to the comb, is an inconvenience, as 

 it increases the labor of the operation. While the black 

 bees may be nearly all dislodged from the comb by a sud- 

 den movement, many of the Italians must be brushed off 

 with a wing. 



Moth-LarvcB. — We find Italians much less liable to be 

 injured by the larvae of the bee-moth, when, from any 

 cause, they become reduced in number. Their superi- 

 ority to the natives in this respect is well marked, as 

 might be inferred from their energetic nature. 



Late Breeding. — It is affirmed that the natives breed 

 later in the fall, and consequently go into winter quart- 

 ers with more young bees. Let us illustrate with a colony 

 of each variety. Let boxes be placed upon both hives, 

 and furnished so long as the yield of honey continues. 

 As the yield diminishes, it will be found that breeding 

 continues more largely with the natives, and the honey 

 will be stored in the boxes ; while the Italians will fill 



