81 
BEE-CULTURE. 
[Extract from the Patent Office Report for 1863.] 
DESCRIPTION OP THE ITALIAN BEE. 
The Italian honey-bee differs from our native or black bee 
in color, size, temperament, productiveness, industry, and 
power of endurance. 
THE QUEEN. 
The abdomen of the queen is somewhat more lengthy than 
that of the native queen. The abdominal rings of the Italian 
queens do not possess like degress cl brilliancy of color. 
Whether this is the result of accident, or otherwise, I have 
as yet been unable definitely to determine, but have noticed 
that the darker colors (which are few) are more frequently 
bred in the old dark-colored combs than in new. The bright 
or standard color of the queens, when first hatched, is of a 
yellowish or straw color, commencing at the waist and ex- 
tending nearly to the lower extremity of her abdomen, which 
is of a dark chestnut brown color, the yellow, as it approaches 
the three lower abdominal rings gradually blending with the 
brown, the lower edges of the four uppermost yellow abdom- 
inal rings sometimes having a very narrow bordciing of 
darker shade than the balance. When she ceases laying in 
the fall or winter her abdomen again contracts, its length re- 
sembling somewhat its size and shape prior to impregnathu. 
THE DRONES 
vary much more in color. On some, the only perceptible dif- 
ference between them and the native drone is a slightly lighter 
shade in the narrow border on the lower edges of their ab- 
dominal rings. While the upper half of the abdomen of oth- 
ers will be entirely of a rich yellow or orange color, others 
are spotted, and a few I have seen, which were almost en- 
tirely of a whitish yellow, interspersed with spots of a brown- 
ish color. In shape and size they resemble our native drone. 
