ITALIAN BEES.
[Illustration]
THE Italian bee is a native of the Alps, and was first imported to this
country about the year 1860. The Italian being a native of mountainous
regions and a high latitude, they were reported to be extremely hardy
and vigorous. Those who were first to obtain them, were unanimous in
their praise of the Italian bee, and fully agreed that it was superior
to our native or black bee in very many respects. The good reputation
which preceded the introduction of the bee to this country, by time and
experience in their care, has been fully vindicated. The pure Italian
bees are superior to the natives in the following characteristics: They
are more hardy and vigorous, withstanding our severe winters, with
ordinary care, better than the natives; they are more industrious than
the native bee, being very active in storing honey in cool, windy, or
cloudy weather, such as keeps the native bees quiet in the hive.
The pure Italian, being large and more vigorous than the natives, go
greater distances to collect honey, and as they are larger, they carry
more at a time, and being swifter of flight than the natives, they go
the same distance in much quicker time. Then, too, the pure Italian bee
is very beautiful, nearly the entire body being of a golden color, so
that some of its admirers have given it the name of "golden bee." It is
very mild in disposition, seldom offering to sting unless unreasonably
irritated. They show great activity in protecting their hives from the
bee moth, even when weak in numbers. They also show the same trait in
defending their stores from the attacks of robber bees. When the native
bees have come buzzing around a hive of Italians in search of plunder,
I have seen an Italian dart from the hive like a bullet, and seizing a
native, while on the wing, bear him to earth and dispatch him with a
sting. This feat I never saw a native bee accomplish. Being larger than
the natives they are able to reach the honey in the red clover, and
many other flowers not accessible to our common bees, which makes an
essential difference in the amount of honey collected.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth says of the Italian bees: "They gather more than
twice as much honey in the same localities, in the same time, as the
swarms of native bees."
I consider the pure Italian bee a valuable and very desirable
acquisition. I have furnished several of my lady friends with full
colonies of them in Controllable Hives, and they have expressed
themselves as very much pleased with their gentle disposition and great
beauty.
I think the points of superiority here designated will be found in the
pure Italian bee. Very many who have purchased bees purporting to be
Italians, have been grossly deceived, having received simply a native
swarm of bees, the queen of which, a pure native, had been impregnated
by a drone having a slight tinge of Italian blood; such stock was but
very little, if any, better than a pure native swarm.
I find I can make an improvement, even in the pure Italian stock, by
selecting queens for rearing to supply my full stocks, and with eggs
and drones, from such stocks as show the superior characteristics in
the fullest degree. This course persevered in for a term of years will
show marked results in the improvements of the desirable points of
superiority found in the Italian bees.
I take great pride in my Italian bees. I believe they are as beautiful
specimens of this variety as it is possible to produce, and possessing
the characteristics of superiority of the Italians in the fullest
degree. The points which I strive to cultivate and develop fully,
are: Industry, mildness of disposition, beauty of color, vigor of
constitution, etc.
In the spring of 1885 I selected from one hundred and forty swarms
of Italian bees, eight swarms of average size. Each had a vigorous
and prolific queen. I selected them with a view of increasing them
to the fullest extent, by swarming on my plan, and securing as many
good swarms for wintering as possible. I commenced feeding early but
lightly. The entire cost of feeding the eight swarms did not exceed
seventy-five cents per swarm, or six dollars for all. The first of
November I had increased them to thirty-three swarms all in good
condition to winter, and had taken from them over three hundred pounds
of honey in glass boxes.
I have given in brief my views of the Italian bee, as I receive many
letters of inquiry in regard to them. I base my statement on practical
experience. I would advise all who wish to procure the Italian bees, to
exercise great care in selecting them and purchase only of those who
are known to have pure stocks, for the best is the cheapest in the end,
no matter if the first cost seems high. If the worth of the money is in
the bees, the higher the price paid, the better you will be satisfied.
But do not pay even a low price for inferior stock, for you will not be
satisfied.[13]
[Footnote 13: Spring being the best time to start bee-keeping on my
plan, I am usually able to supply my friends with first-class swarms of
Italian bees in spring of each year. I send out none but the very best,
such as I can warrant First-Class in every respect.]
I will give the results of keeping the pure Italian bees on my plan as
reported by persons who have purchased this variety from me:
A gentleman in Vermont purchased of me, in the spring of 1881, a swarm
of Italian bees in a Controllable Hive. He commenced feeding early,
with the view of increasing his stocks by new swarms, preferring an
increase of stocks rather than surplus honey for that season. The
result was an increase of five swarms, all in good condition for
winter, and also over seventy pounds of honey in glass boxes.
Another, a lady in Kansas, obtained sixty pounds of box honey from a
swarm of Italians, which she obtained from me late in the spring of
1882.
A lady in Illinois purchased of me, in the spring of 1880, a swarm of
Italian bees in a Controllable Hive. The first season she got one nice,
large swarm and a good yield of box honey. The second season (1881,)
she had two swarms to commence with, and obtained four new swarms from
that two, and about five hundred pounds of nice honey in glass boxes.
In 1882 she had increased her stocks to ten, and reported that she was
meeting with perfect success.
A gentleman in Rhode Island purchased of me a swarm of Italians in the
spring of 1883. They gave him in June and July of that year, two fine
young swarms, and eighty pounds of honey in glass boxes.
In the spring of 1882, a gentleman in Maine purchased a swarm of
Italian Bees of me, and that season they gave him five large swarms.
They were managed with a view of securing as many swarms as possible,
as the gentleman wished an increase of swarms rather than surplus honey.
Every one who has a place to set a hive of bees, would derive great
pleasure, as well as profit, in keeping Italian bees in Controllable
Hives. They are so docile, so very industrious and so beautiful in
color, that one finds real pleasure in their care.
Some of my friends claim that the honey collected by the Italian is of
better flavor and a nicer quality generally, than that collected by the
common bees; and this may be the case in some localities, where there
are certain varieties of flowers accessible to the Italians, but not
accessible to the natives, the latter being smaller; yet in my location
I see no difference in the quality of the honey collected by the two
varieties, but a great difference in favor of the Italians, in the
quantity collected.
But I do claim that by my New System of Bee Keeping, the surplus honey
is greatly superior to that obtained by the old methods, both by the
Italian and common bees, for this reason:
By the ordinary methods of bee keeping, the bees require the best part
of the honey season to fill up the brood combs of their hives, or in
other words to store a supply for their own use, but on my plan we feed
the bees nearly all they need for their own use, then we get nearly all
they collect from natural sources in the boxes. _So we get the cream of
the honey stored in boxes--the very best._