CHAPTER XVII.ITALIAN BEES.

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 honeyin 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 mylady 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]

[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 anincrease 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 veryindustrious 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.

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