and its Economic Management. 51 



that year after year such short-sighted men are indebted 

 to some distant bee-keeper for the continued excellence of 

 their blacks (?) ; as the new blood is carried from one 

 apiary to another, through successive stages during suc- 

 ceeding seasons ; each cross showing less of colour, until 

 in the end there is scarcely any evidence to show that the 

 dark bees of the neighbourhood have foreign blood in 

 their constitution. 



The advantages claimed for Ligurians are as follows : 

 They are more prolific, and consequently gather more 

 honey than blacks, more especially as they can work upon 

 some flowers not accessible to the others, and continue to 

 gather until Autumn is well advanced. Strange to say, 

 natives often do best early in the season, but in Autumn 

 I have known Italians draw out foundation rapidly and 

 store heavily, while at the same time the former would not 

 attempt to work upon a sheet of foundation placed in the 

 centre of the brood nest. The Italians are more gentle, 

 and together with their beautiful markings, this has done 

 niuch to make them popular. 



They are considered to be an all-purposes bee, but the 

 comb-honey stored by the imported bees is not quite so 

 good as that of the native kind : they are not equal to the 

 latter as comb-builders, and are often hard to persuade to 

 enter the supers ; while they are unsuitable for queen- 

 raising purposes, unless great care is taken, as they will 

 start but few cells. A mixture of the two races, however, 

 as previously stated, will give energetic workers, but un- 

 fortunately having very bad tempers. 



As with all yellow races, Ligurian workers have three 

 yellow bands on the upper part of the abdomen, beginning 

 at the first segment. Creamy white lines of hair follow 

 the broader yellow bars, down to the extremity of the 

 body, giving the bee a handsome appearance. The queens 



