THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
the same as the North Germans and Italians, 
appear to be somewhat more powerful, but 
build the same sized cells. Their colour is 
similar to the best Italians, and their breast 
is also of a yellow tinge; the hair on the 
breast, body, and segments is yellow and 
white. Their fertility is notorious, and their 
inclination to swarm exceeds even that of 
the Heath bee and Carniolean ; their rage 
when stinging is not so great as that of the 
Italians, but they are more irritable than 
any other race. They are to be found in 
Southern France, Sicily, Caucasus, and the 
islands and capes of Asia Minor, The best 
coloured are those on the Island of Cyprus, 
from whence they were imported about 
fifteen years ago by Count Kolowrat (an 
enthusiastic amateur beekeeper in Bohemia 
and Austria,) and subsequently the race 
spread to Germany. I could not determine to 
breed them myself on account of their vieioua- 
ness. At an Exhibition of the German General 
Beekeepers’ Association several colonies were 
on view, and it was impossible for me 
to open a single hive without instantly having 
bit face and hands full of stings. It is pos- 
sible they may have become excited from the 
transport, but such was not the case with 
the Carniolean and Italians, about which 
hundreds of persons were standing and 
watching without being stung. No one 
dared to go near the Cyprians. The Syrian 
bees are a variety of Cyprians, and have the 
same peculiarities ; in appearance they are 
similar to the Egyptians, and, if anything, 
exceed them in beauty. In my opinion the 
praise of the Cyprians is undoubtedly 
exaggerated. That they sting more than 
the Italian and German bees is admitted 
by their most ardent admirers. From my 
experience the Italians are the tamest, and 
are as handsome as the Cyprians. The 
Palestine or Holy Land bees are only 
another variety of Cyprians; they are as 
bad tempered as the Egyptians, but not so 
prettily marked ; in size they are about the 
same as the Egyptians. 
THE CAUCASIAN BEES 
are also a variety of Cyprians. Those imported 
into Germany vary very much. Most of the 
queens produce unevenly marked and coloured 
bees. In my opinion this race has no great 
future before it, although they have been 
propagated by a good beemaster (Herr Dathe, 
jun„ of Eistrup, Hanover.) Their gentleness 
is spoken of in laudatory terms, and it is said 
they can hardly be provoked to sting. Some 
colonies, however, sting as much as the Cyprian. 
This race was introduced to notice by the 
Russian Minister of State in Petersburg!! 
in 1880. 
As I have now described nearly all known 
races and varieties of bees, I will classify 
them as follows, viz. : — Primitive races 
created by nature)—!, Northern German, or 
black bee ; 2, Egyptian bee. Secondary 
races— 1, Italian; 2, Cyprian ; 3, Syrian. The 
secondary races have sprung up from voluntary 
crossings in ancient times of the primitive 
races. The Heath bee and Carnioleans are 
varieties of the Northern German, from which 
they can be distinguished only by a cultured 
eye. In conclusion, I cannot allow this oppor- 
tunity to pass without alluding to Dr. Dzierzon 
and his introduction to the notice of the world 
of the Italian bee. It was reserved for Dr. 
Dzierzon, the veteran bee enthusiast, to raise 
the culture of bees to a science. As early as 
the year 1842 he introduced to the public the 
movable comb. On 14th February, 1853, he 
received the first colony of Italian bees from 
Mira, near Venice. Through experiments 
with these bees and close observation he 
noticed that the queen laid all the eggs, and 
that the drone eggs were also laid by her, but 
were not impregnated. Persons interested 
would not believe that a living being could 
develop from an unimpregnated egg. The 
worthy doctor, however, proved this. One of 
the greatest beemasters at that time, Baron 
von Berlepseh (the inventor of the movable 
bar frame,) in 1855 was the greatest opponent 
to this theory, but in a short time became the 
greatest advocate of the doctrine. Eminent 
men of science, such as Professors Siebold, 
Leuckardt, and others interested themselves 
in the enquiry, and they scientifically con- 
firmed the doctor’s discovery in every par- 
ticular, not one iota being refuted. We owe 
our thanks to Dr. Dzierzon for introducing 
the Italian bee, and through whose keen 
powers of observation we have been enligh- 
tened in bee culture, and are enabled to 
develop the natural adaptations of the bee 
to the profitable industry of humane bee 
culture. 
In a discussion which followed, Mr. Fiebig 
explained that the Italians were, in his opinion, 
a cross betw’een the Egyptians and the black 
bees. He thought the Ligurians were best 
adapted for use in South Australia — the 
hybrids were too vicious. If left to pro- 
miscuous breeding, the bees will revert to the 
old black type, or perhaps the Egyptian, but 
the stinging power was not lost. It was 
pointed out that Langstroth was the inventor 
of the movable frame, but Dr. Dzierzon first 
used a simple bar at the top, to which the bees 
built their combs, and these had to be cut 
away from the sides of the hives. Several 
members expressed their appreciation of the 
useful information conveyed by the paper, and 
the meeting then separated. 
