l6o NOTES. 



6. The Italian Bees. — (Page 40.) " The so-called Italian bee 

 has been cultivated from time immemorial in the northern portions of 

 Italy, and some adjourning districts, and differs from the common 

 honey-bee only by its pecular color and workings. In the workers 

 the first three upper segments of the abdomen are of a bright orange 

 color, though the lower margin of the third segment is black. While 

 young, this coloring is brighter, and becomes darker as they increase 

 in age ; but under all circumstances it remains sufficiently marked to 

 enable the observer to distinguish the two kinds at a glance. Still 

 more conspicuous is the difference between the Italian and the 

 common queen. The Italian queen has not only the orange color 

 segments in common with the workers, but the yellow predominates, 

 also, in all the other segments. The drones differ from the common 

 drones, in having the first three segments bordered with orange, and 

 in having orange-colored spots besides. * * * Though the Ital- 

 ian bee was so long and so extensively known, it escaped the notice 

 of German apiarians, who little anticipated how important it would 

 prove to be for the settlement of controversies which had long been 

 maintained among them. Capt. Baldenstein, of Cour, in the Grisons, 

 first called attention to this bee in 1848, as peculiarly adapted to de- 

 termine the question as to the origin of drone-eggs, and as further- 

 more of great practical value in bee-culture." He subsequently in- 

 troduced them into Switzerland, and though he did not succeed in 

 breeding pure stock from them, he arrived at important results. In 

 1853 the famous Dzierzon, one of the great fathers of modern bee- 

 culture, received a hive of Italians as a gift from Madame de Prollius, 

 of Mira, near Venice. He succeeded in breeding pure stock from 

 them. By his efforts, and by those of Count Baldenstein, the atten- 

 tion of bee-keepers in Germany, and in other countries of Europe, 

 was called to the merits of this bee, and it has now been very widely 

 introduced. — Rev. George Klein, in American Bee Journal, Vol. I., 

 p. 16. 



Italian bees were introduced into the United States about the year 

 1850. I think the first successful importation was by S. B. Parsons, 

 of Flushing, Long Island. They are now found in nearly all parts 

 of our country, though in many localities the common black bee still 

 predominates. There are now several dealers who receive regular 

 invoices of Italian queens every summer, direct from Italy, and 

 supply them to their customers in all sections. Pure imported 

 queens can now be bought as low as $4.00 each. 



An experienced bee-keeper sums up the merits of Italians, as com- 

 pared with black bees, as follows : (1) They possess longer tongues 

 and can gather from flowers which are useless to the blaek bee. 

 (2) They are more active, and with the same opportunities will col- 



