Reference has already been made to the relative gentleness of the
various races, and since the gentler types are themselves excellent
honey gatherers, and the particular advantages to be derived from
some of the more energetic races which do not happen to be so mild
in temperament are not likely to be secured by the beginner who is
unfamiliar with the most approved methods of manipulation of such
bees, it is strongly recommended that only the gentle ones be at first
adopted--either Caucasians, Carniolans, or Italians. Should full
colonies of these not be obtainable near home, colonies of ordinary
bees may be changed by replacing their queens with queens of the
desired race, the latter having been procured in small boxes by mail.
If possible the introduction had better be made by an expert, although
in general, by following the instructions which accompany the new
queen, success will also be attained by the beginner.
A brief summary of the leading traits of the various races now in this
country will be of use in guiding the purchaser, as well as instructive
to him for reference.
=Caucasians= are natives of that portion of Russia lying between
the Black and Caspian seas, are exceedingly gentle, good workers, good
defenders of their hives, prolific, build many queen cells, and swarm
often if confined to small hives. The workers are dark leaden gray in
their general color, and present quite a ringed appearance because
of the alternation of this dark color with the lighter fuzz which
edges the segments of the abdomen. They also show frequently one to
two yellow or leather-colored bands, are somewhat smaller bodied than
Italians or Carniolans, have good wing-expanse, and hence are nimble
flyers. The drones are rather small and quite dark in color; queens not
large, and vary in color from a coppery-yellow to a dark bronze.
=Carniolans= are much larger bodied and somewhat lighter gray in
color than the Caucasians, but show likewise in many instances one
or two rusty or dark-red bands. Their great hardiness and excellent
wing-power enable them to fly freely in much cooler weather than some
other races stand, and to regain their hive entrances under adverse
conditions. They are prolific, active, and good honey gatherers,
producing combs of snowy whiteness. As in the case of the Caucasians,
their prolificness causes them to fill small hives to overflowing with
bees, and this naturally results in numerous swarms. It is therefore
advisable to use hives containing ten to twelve frames in the brood
chamber. The nature of the Carniolans is essentially a quiet one, so
that upon the approach of cold weather they settle down in a very
compact and extremely quiet cluster, a condition which contributes in
no small degree to their excellent wintering qualities. The drones are
the largest of all drones of this species, and are covered with a thick
coat of gray fuzz. The queens vary from a light color to a very dark
leather color, the typical queen being, however, dark bronze, large,
well rounded, strong, and active.
=Italians=, the first of the foreign races to be introduced into
this country, are much more widely known, and have with reason found
great favor, since they are industrious, good defenders of their hives,
and excellent honey gatherers, as well as handsome in appearance, being
usually evenly marked with three yellow bands across the anterior
portion of the abdomen. The blood has become so disseminated through
the apiaries of the country that many hybrid bees having but one to
two yellow bands are counted as Italians, and their cross disposition,
derived through the males of the common race, is charged to the
Italians. Strains of Italians pure in blood have been bred by selection
in this country until the three yellow bands have become so wide as
to be nearly or quite joined, and in some instances nearly the whole
abdomen is yellow. In general, however, as regards gathering powers it
does not seem that any improvement has been made by this selection, the
dark or leather-colored Italians proving, all in all, more vigorous,
gentle, and better honey gatherers, while as regards wintering they are
also superior. It must be acknowledged, however, that the Italian race
is slightly inferior in wintering qualities to all of the others which
have been generally introduced into America.
=Cyprians=, from the island of Cyprus, may be taken as a general
type with which to compare other eastern races. They are small bodied,
more slender, in fact, than any of the European races of bees. The
abdomen is more pointed and shows, when the bees are purely bred, three
light-colored bands on the upper surface, and considerable yellow on
the under side. Between the wing attachments on the thorax is a little
prominence, shaped like a half moon, which is usually quite plainly
yellow in color. The queens are small bodied, yellow in color, with
more or less black at the tip of the abdomen. The drones have a heavy
coat of fuzz on the thorax, and the abdomen presents a mottled yellow
appearance, being often highly yellow. Cyprians possess longer tongues
and greater wing-power than other races. This, combined with great
prolificness and most remarkable activity, renders them the best of
honey gatherers. In temper, however, they may be regarded as rather
aggressive, rendering their management by any who are not experts
extremely difficult. This feature may, however, be largely overcome
by crossing the queens of this race with the drones of very gentle
types. In this manner bees are produced that are readily amenable to
smoke and ordinary methods in manipulation, combined with the excellent
honey-gathering powers and prolificness of the eastern races.
=Cyprio-Carniolans and Cyprio-Caucasians.=--The author conceived
the idea in the early eighties that by crossing the Cyprian and
Carniolan races a type might be developed which would combine the
excellent traits of both of these. The first matings of Cyprians and
Carniolans were made by him in 1883 in Carniola itself, thus insuring
positively the fecundation of the Cyprian queens by Carniolan drones.
Bees combining the blood of the two races in various proportions have
since been tested for years in comparison with all other known races,
with the result that the cross mentioned above has been found to exceed
all of the pure races in honey-gathering powers, owing undoubtedly
to the combination of great energy, hardiness, prolificness, and
wing-power, as well as greater length of tongue--a fact established by
actual measurements. Similar results, with even greater gentleness,
may be expected from the cross obtained between Cyprian queens and
Caucasian drones.
=Syrian and Palestine or "Holy-Land" bees.=--What has been
said of Cyprians may be taken to apply in a general sense to Syrian
and Palestine bees, except that in these the good qualities are
slightly less prominent, while some of the bad ones of the Cyprians
are accentuated. No separate description of these is, therefore,
particularly necessary in this place.
=German, Common Black, or Brown bees.=--The bees commonly found
wild, and cultivated to a greater or less extent, in this country,
and known under the above name, are probably derived from early
introductions from the Old World. In comparison with the races above
enumerated, they may be said to be inferior, since they possess the
least energy in honey collecting, are less prolific, and not as good
defenders of their hives. Under favorable conditions, however, as
regards pasturage they may be relied upon for excellent results. They
are, however, spiteful under manipulation, and have the disagreeable
habit of running from the combs and dropping in bunches on the ground,
likewise of flying from the hive entrance and attacking passers-by.
They are more easily discouraged than other bees during slack times as
regards honey production, and this is doubtless the main reason for
their generally inferior economic value.