128 BEE-FARMING. 



LIGURIAN, OR ITALIAN BEES. 



Not a few authors have looked upon these beautiful 

 insects as merely a novelty, a new toy or fashion, which, 

 like fashions in dress, would rapidly change and disappear. 

 We, however, think they are a most useful novelty, and a 

 fashion which we trust will never again disappear from 

 our English apiaries. As to their superiority, the fol- 

 lowing facts speak for themselves. They are a much 

 larger bee, also very beautiful, although they are and can 

 certainly be proved to be only a variety of the common 

 black bee. 



By very careful testing, side by side, with their older 

 sisters, the queens are larger and more prolific. The 

 workers are less sensitive to cold ; and when bred in combs 

 of their own building they are much larger, and as a natural 

 result the honey sac is larger, thus they must be better honey 

 gatherers. They also appear to be far better tempered ; 

 very rarely do they venture an attack. Dr. Kirtland le- 

 marks with truth, that their beauty of colouring and grace- 

 ful forms render them an object of interest to every person 

 of taste. My colonies are daily watched and admired by 

 many visitors. They will, no doubt, prove a valuable ac- 

 quisition to localities of high latitude, and will be peculiarly 

 adapted to our climate. Langstroth declares, "If we may 

 judge from the working of my colonies, the Italians will 

 fully sustain their European reputation; they have gathered 

 more than twice as much honey as the swarms of the com- 

 mon bee." 



Quinby says, "I now began to watch their peculiarities 

 with considerable interest. White clover was blossoming 

 in abundance, and the early red, or June clover, in small 

 quantities. Here was a chance to see if the Italians fre- 



