196 Introducing Queens. 



THE NEW EACES. OF BEES. 



All of the valuable characteristics of the Italian bees are 

 exaggerated in the Syrian bees, except that of amiability. 

 This feature, irritability, would not be an objection to an ex- 

 perienced bee-keeper. I believe, after two years' experience 

 with the Syrians, that they will soon be as pleasant to manage 

 and handle as are the Italians. They are not subdued with 

 smoke, and require careful handling. They are astonishingly 

 prolific, and keep up the brood rearing whether there are nec- 

 tar-secreting flowers or not. For queen rearing they are 

 super-excellent. The comb honey of these bees is said to be 

 quite inferior, because of thin caps; a point I have failed to 

 observe. The Cyprian bees are in nc way superior to the 

 Syrians, so far as I can learn, though I have had no experi- 

 ence with them, and they are considerably more irritable. 



WHAT BEES SHALL WE KEEP? 



The beginner certainly better keep Italians. If the Syr- 

 ians maintain their apparent superiority, I would certainly ad- 

 vise the experienced bee-keeper to give them a trial. 



HOW TO ITALIANIZE. 



From what has been already explained regarding the natural 

 history of bees, it will be seen that all we have to do to change 

 our bees is to change our queens. Hence, to Italianize a col- 

 ony, we have only to procure and introduce an Italian queen.- 

 The same of course is true of Cyprianizing or Syrianizing. 

 If we change the queen we soon change the bees. 



HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUEEN. 



In dividing colonies, where we give our queen to a colony 

 composed wholly of young bees, it is safe and easy to intro- 

 duce a queen in the manner explained in the section on arti- 

 ficial swarming. To introduce a queen to a colony composed 

 of old bees requires more care. First,- we should seek out the 

 old queen and destroy her, then cage our Italian queen in a 

 wire" cage (Fig. 84), which may be made by winding a strip 

 of wire-cloth, three and one-half inches wide, and containing 

 fifteen to twenty meshes to the inch, about the finger. Let it 

 lap each way one-half inch, then cut it ofi". Ravel out the 



