44 BEEKEEPING 



the Italian bee. These, of course, are not 

 true hybrids but the term has. been so 

 long current among beekeepers that its use 

 is impossible to avoid. 



The black bees are often excellent work- 

 ers, but their disposition to sting on the 

 least provocation makes them unpleasant 

 to handle. This tendency more than any 

 other they transmit to their hybrid cous- 

 ins and frequently we will find a colony of 

 hybrid bees so cross that it can be handled 

 only with difficulty even by the most ex- 

 pert manipulator. 



The more recently introduced Italian 

 bees, on the other hand, are exceedingly 

 gentle and can be handled under certain 

 conditions with very little fear of trou- 

 ble. They too are excellent workers and 

 offer a combination of an industrious 

 spirit with a mild disposition. For this 

 reason they are fast becoming the stand- 

 ard stock in all well regulated apiaries. 

 Unfortunately, however, there seems to 

 be a tendency among some beekeepers to 

 breed their stock for color and disposition 



