Races of Bees 
197 
them because they did not work on buckwheat! Later 
Rauchfuss Brothers, Denver, Colorado, imported queens of 
this race and recommended them. Following this, addi¬ 
tional queens were imported and American bred queens were 
distributed by the United States Department of Agriculture 
several years ago. 
The gentleness of this race is universally admitted, but 
Caucasians have some faults which have caused them to be 
abandoned by most beekeepers who have tried them. They 
use propolis most 
lavishly and in 
the autumn of¬ 
ten build a wall 
at the entrance, 
leaving holes 
only large enough 
for single bees 
to pass (Fig. 94). 
They also build 
many burr and brace combs. The dark color makes it diffi¬ 
cult to tell when the queens are purely mated and the dark 
queens are difficult to find on the combs. An additional fac¬ 
tor which has led to the lack of interest in this race is the 
rapid spread of European foul brood within recent years. 
This has virtually necessitated the use of Italian bees in 
many localities and has discouraged experimentation with 
other races. There are still several prominent beekeepers 
who are enthusiastic in their praise of the Caucasians. 
Flo. 94. — Propolis at entrance, built by Caucasian 
bees. The entrance block on one side made a 
propolis wall unnecessary there. 
Italian. 
This is the most popular race of bees among the best 
American beekeepers. The bees of Italy vary considerably 
in color, those in the north of the country being virtually 
identical with the German bees in color. The typical 
“three-banded” Italians are found farther south and in 
Sicily there is a still lighter strain. Some investigators 
believe Italians to be a cross between the German and 
