8 



AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 



My Cyprians came direct from Cyprus, so that they 

 were pure, and when I had them I was no novice at 

 handling bees. Even worse in this respect was a cross 

 strain between Cyprians and Italians that I raised ; they 

 would tackle the hot tin part of the smoker; but they 

 were the best workers I ever had. 



ITALIAN BEES. 



Take them all in all, Italian bees are undoubtedly the 

 best, and I affirm this after an experience with all the 

 other varieties named, and a long acquaintance with the 

 favourite bee. They are readily improved by judicious 

 breeding, are good honey gatherers, excellent defenders 

 of their hives from robbers and the wax moth, and can 

 battle against disease better than the common bee. 

 That it is the most profitable bee to cultivate is almost 

 the universal opinion of advanced apiarists. 



MARKINGS OF PURE ITALIANS. 



It is well for the novice to be able to distinguish the 

 difference between pure Italians and their crosses 

 (Hybrids). Formerly, it was seldom that more than 

 three yellow bands across the abdomen were seen on 

 pure Italians, but of late years it has not been un- 

 common to see four and even five yellow bands. 

 There should not, however, be less 

 than three. 



Referring to the illustration, 



ABC, Fig. I, represent the three 



yellow semi-transparent bands ; d e, 



and the shaded parts of a b c, are 



rows of greyish hairs. The three 



yellow bands should be plainly 



visible, though the band a, next the 



thorax, is .sometimes very narrow, 



and may be overlooked at the first 



glance. The surest test of a pure 



colony, is that all the bees carry the 



three yellow bands . 



Fig. I. — ABDOMEN There are light golden, and 



OF ITALIAN WORKER leather-coloured strains. Formerly it 



BEE. was considered that the latter were 



