314+ FARM ANIMALS 
In large apiaries special cellars or buildings are provided for 
winter quarters. It is essential that for outdoor wintering the hives 
weigh at least 50 pounds; that is, that they contain 30 pounds or 
more of honey. In indoor wintering much less honey is required, 
since the bees do not need so much food to keep them warm. 
14. Kinds of bees.—The Italian is the most popular bee 
of commercial importance. It is black and yellow, noted: 
for gentleness, ability to work and gdod health where 
properly bred. The Black or German bee, which the 
Italian is steadily replacing, is the next most popular. 
It is noted for nervousness, excitability, ability to work 
and greater susceptibility than the Italian to disease. The 
Carniolan, considered to be a variety of the black bee, 
swarms very profusely, and is thus undesirable for com- 
mercial purposes. The Caucasian, which resembles the 
Carniolan closely, is a good honey gatherer, but uses bee 
glue too freely to suit the apiarist. The Banat bee re- 
sembles the Caucasian, though there is a yellow variety. 
Tunis or Punic bees are very cross and so inclined to 
daub everything with red bee glue that they are not 
suited to comb honey production. The Egyptian bee, 
cultivated for thousands of years in Egypt, is much 
smaller than the Italian. It is a fast excellent worker, 
but very irritable. It does not mix with other bees. 
Albinos are either “sports” from the Italian or crosses 
between Holy Land and Italian bees. There are also 
Cyprian, Holy Land or Syrian bees that have been im- 
ported into America, but have not become specially pop- 
ular. In India are several species that have not been 
domesticated in other parts of the world. 
15. Bee diseases—Dysentery, a winter disease, due to 
long, low temperature and bad food, is usually cured by 
free flight in the spring. Paralysis, rather common in 
warm climates, seems to be constitutional and due to the 
queen. A new queen usually proves effective as a cure. 
