30 ADVANCED BEE CULTURE 



iimid H®'^¥ t© Sectire It« 



Z>i pAHERE are only two varieties of bees worthy of consideration 

 for use in the United States; in fact, they are about the only 

 varieties now left here for consideration, and they are the 

 Italians and the Germans, or blacks, as they are commonly 

 called. The prolific Syrians and the tierce, irritable Cyprians, have 

 practically passed away on this side of the waters. These varieties 

 of bees are very prolific, but undue prolificness is of no value — it is 

 really objectionable for this part of the world. If queens cost large 

 sums of money, there mig-ht be a shade of reason in desiring those 

 that are prolific; but, to the practical honey producer, they cost 

 almost nothing; and by using hives that are not too large, queens of 

 ordinary prolificness will keep the combs sufficiently filled with 

 brood. The great ambition of these varieties seems to be to rear 

 brood, instead of to store honey. Their only object in gathering 

 honey appears to be that it may be used in rearing brood. They 

 will rear brood until the last drop of honey in the hive is used. The 

 Syrians also have the undesirable trait of filling the cells so full of 

 honey, and capping it so poorly, as to give it a dark, watery appear- 

 ance, which is very objectionable in comb honey production. 



Carniolans resemble the Syrians and Cyprians, so far as prolific- 

 ness is concerned, but are very gentle, and cap their honey with a 

 whiteness equal to that capped by the blacks, but this disposition to 

 expend their energies in breeding and swarming, has caused them 

 to be discarded in their purity, although a few bee-keepers still pre- 

 fer a cross between them and the Italians. 



In this matter of -brood rearing, the Italians are unexcelled. 

 During the spring months they push breeding with wonderful 

 rapidity; but, as soon as the main honey harvest begins in earnest, 

 breeding is greatly reduced, and most of the energy turned to the 



