30 Advanced Bcc Culture 



carry off the palm. l''or the production of extracted honey, the Itahans 

 are probably unexcelled ; but in producing comb honey the blacks show 

 t\v(i points of superiority. They are more willing to store their honey 

 in the supers at some distance from the brood, and, in capping their 

 honev, they leave a small space between the honey and the capping, 

 which gives to the comb an almost snowy whiteness. The blacks are 

 alsn more easily driven out of the supers with smoke, and more readily 

 shaken from the combs. They are very irritable while being handled, 

 man\- taking wing, and others running about upon the combs, gathering 

 in bunches and dropping off upon the ground. For the production of 

 comb honey there is probably no better bee than a cross between the 

 Italians and the blacks, at least so far as results are concerned. They 

 are energetic workers, willing and ready to store their honey in the 

 supers, but, unfortunately, they are possessed of a very uneven temper. 

 Either variety, black or Italian, in its purit}', is easier to handle than is 

 a cross between them. 



Modern bee culture, with its "bait" sections of partly drawn combs, 

 or the putting-on of extracting-supers at the opening of the season, then 

 changing them for sections after a start has been made, has well nigh 

 overcome the objection of the Italians clinging to the brood-nest, while 

 much can be done by selection in breeding to overcome the trait of poor 

 capping. In brief, if I were to engage in the production of either comb 

 or extracted honey, I would adopt pure Italians ; then, by selection in 

 breeding, get rid of the undesirable traits, such as "watery" capping 

 of the honey, inclination to build large quantities of brace-combs, undue 

 swarming, etc. Every bee-keeper of experience, who has tried different 

 strains of bees, knows that there is a great differencj betwen different 

 strains of even the same variety. A bee-keeper win i is j ust starting in 

 the business, or one already in the business who has not taken such a 

 course, ought to get c^ueens from several of the best breeders, then adopt 

 some easily kept but comprehensive system of recording the traits and 

 peculiarities of each colony. The card system which has been so suc- 

 cessfully adopted in so many ways readily lends itself to this use. If the 

 bees of any colony prove vindictive, requeen it. If the bees of another 

 colony are poor comb-builders, or cap their hdiiey poorly, destroy th? 

 queen and give them another. Do the same i f they build large quan- 

 tities of "brace-combs," or if they are undul\- given tn swarniing, or if 

 they are poor honey-gatherers, or do not winter ^xell. On the other 

 hand, the desirable traits should be watched for and recorded, and 

 queens reared from the queens of such colonies. Care ought also to be 

 taken that no drones are reared, or allowed to fly, from undesirable 

 stock, and pains taken to rear them in gdiuily numbers from the best 

 stocks in the apiary. Ry pursuing this course, the bee-keeper will 



