POINTS OF SUPERIORITY. 
75 
3d. In opening a hive, the Italians, when pure , are much 
more peaceable than the black bees, and the queen is more readily 
found, not so much on account of contrast in color as from the 
fact that with the workers she usually remains undisturbed upon 
the combs. 
4th. Being more constant workers, the Italians are less in- 
clined to rob than the native bees. Being hardier, they are 
longer lived, winter more safely, and are more inclined to super- 
cede their queens when past their prime. Hence, colonies are 
not so liable to become queenless, and queenless stocks do not 
so rapidly become depopulated. 
5th. Their beauty of color and graceful form render them 
an object of interest to every person of taste. Hence, they at- 
tract many visitors, who admire their golden hue so beautifully 
shown by the sun’s rays, as they pass swiftly to and from the 
hive. 
CHANGING A STOCK OF COMMON BEES TO ITALIANS. 
To Italianize a colony of black bees, it is only necessary to 
remove the native queen and substitute in her place a fertile 
Italian queen. The Italian queen will commence laying almost 
immediately, her progeny beginning to hatch in about three 
weeks, and in from three to six months the whole stock will be 
pure Italian. The native queen is most easily found by opening 
the hive near the middle of a clear day, when many bees are 
absent in the fields. Handle the combs carefully, looking over 
one at a time, using the smoke sparingly lest the queen be 
driven from the combs. It may sometimes be necessary to shake 
