THE ITALIAN BEE. 
83 
[j Extract from (he Patent Office Report for 1863.] 
DESCRIPTION OF THE ITALIAN BEE. 
“The Italian lioney-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 degrees of brilliancy of col- 
or Whether this is the result of accident, or otherwise, I 
hav» as yet been unable definitely to determine, but have no- 
ticed that the darker colors (which are few) are more fre- 
quently bred in the old dark-colored combs than in new. 
The bright or standard color of the queens, when first hatch- 
ed, is of a yellowish or straw color, commencing at the waist 
and extending nearly to the lower extremity of her abdomen, 
which is of a dark chestnut brown color, the yellow, as it ap- 
proaches the three lower abdominal rings, gradually blending 
with the brown, the lower edges of the four uppermost yellow 
abdominal rings sometimes having a very narrow bordering . 
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 impregnation.” 
THE DRONES 
vary more in color. On some, the only perceptible differ- 
ence 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 
others will be entirely of a rich yellow or orange color, oth- 
ers are spotted, and a few I have seen, which were almost 
entirely of a whitish yellow, interspersed with spots of a 
brownish color. In shape and size they resemble our native 
drone. 
