54 THE bbe-keepbr's guide ; 



Mr. S. B. Parsons brought the first colonies that were im- 

 ported direct from Italy. 



The Italian worker-bee is quickly distinguished by the 

 bright yellow rings at the base of the abdomen. Perhaps 

 golden would be a better term, as these bands are often bright 

 orange. If the colony be pure, every bee will show three of 

 these golden girdles (Fig. 9, A, B. C). The first two segments 



Fig. 9. 



Abdomen of JtaUan WorJcer. 

 (From A. I. Root Co.) 



or rings of the abdomen, except at their posterior border, and 

 also the base or anterior border of the third, will be of this 

 orange-yellow hue. The rest of the back or dorsal surface will 

 be much as in the German race. Underneath the abdomen, 

 except for a greater or less distance at the tip, will also be 

 yellow, while the same color appears more or less strongly 

 marked on the legs. The workers have longer ligulae or 

 tongues (Fig. S4) than the German race, permitting them to 

 gather nectar from long flower-tubes, which is inaccessible to 

 our common bees, and their tongues are also a little more 

 hairy than are those of the black bees. They are also more 

 active, and less inclined to sting. The queen has the entire 

 base of her abdomen, and sometimes nearly the whole of it, 

 orange-yellow. The variation as to amount of color is quite 



