THE ITALIAN BEE. 
323 
and also mote frequently. Captain Baldenstein’s want of success 
was most probably the result of a deficiency of drone-comb# in his 
Italian hives, as a consequence of which, only few drones were 
produced.’ 
* Tim main thing to be attended to in any localities where 
common bees are found or kept, is to secure the production of 
drones in numbers overwhelmingly large; though Dzierzon is 
under the impression, that where both kinds of drones exist in 
about equal numbers, the Italian queens will usually encounter 
Italian drones, both queens and drones being more active and 
agile than the common kind. Besides, the wings of both queens 
and drones are finer and more delicate than those of the common 
kind, and the sounds produced in flying are clearer and higher- 
toned. Hence, probably, they are readily able to distinguish each 
other when on the wing f 
“ The Baron of Bcrlepsch, one of the most enthusiastic and 
skillful Apiarians, on a large scale, in Germany, says he can. from 
his own experience confirm the statements of Dzierzon, in relation 
to the Italian bee, having found, 
* “Dzierzon guarded agrinst this, by giving to a very large colony, which ordi¬ 
narily produced drones in great numbers, a fertilo queen very early in the season. 
Thousands of drones soon made their appearance, and he immediately formed an 
artificial colony by removing this queen, with a sufficient number of workers, 
adding worker-brood from other colonies. On the twelfth day following, he hoard 
a young queen ‘ teeting ’ in the parent hive and, to his surprise, a large swarm 
issued from it on the Mine day, though the weather was then cool and cloudy. This 
swarm camo forth suddenly, without any previous Indication of Us intention, just 
ns after-swarms usually do. On a similar day, Dzierzon says, he had never seen a 
flrst swarm of common hoes leave. So cold was the weather, that some of the bees 
became chilled before the swarm was hived. As tho swarm was unusually large, 
he divided It into two, ns he was able to procuro an additional queen from tho 
parent hive. Both tlivovo well, and each of the queens was impregnated by an 
Italian drone. From this occurrence, ho judged that these bees have an instinctive 
proclivity to swarm enrly. Our common kind would have lingered long, rather 
than ‘ swarm in weather so cold anil cloudy,’ S. Wahneu. 
t “ If, at the timo when young queens aro emerging, tho bees and drones bo 
temptod to sally out earlier than usual in the day, hours before tho common drones 
come forth, by feeding them with diluted honey, the perpetuation of the genuine 
Dreed will the rnoro probably be secured. But this end will tho most certainly bo 
attained, if measures aro taken to have Italian queens and drones bred early Id tho 
Season, before tho common drones make their appearance; and again late,after the 
latter hnvo been ‘killed off.’ This may readily bo done by tho improved hive, and 
the application of certain known principles in bee-culture.”— S. Waoneil 
