QUERIESANDREPLIES
Query 907.—If you were buying Italian queens, what color would you expect them to be, regardless of how they are mated?—Iowa.
Yellow.—E. France.Yellow, of course.—Jas. A. Stone.The color of Italian queens.—Eugene Secor.At least three-banded.—J. M. Hambaugh.Any color from yellow to dark leather color.—M. Mahin.That depends upon what breeder you are buying from.—P. H. Elwood.I should not anticipate. A leather-colored queen is satisfactory to me.—Mrs. L. Harrison.Italians vary very much in color. It is hard to tell in a sentence, what color they should be.—Emerson T. Abbott.The imported are dark, but American skill has bred them "doubtless pure" to a very bright yellow to the tip.—J. H. Larrabee.I should expect them to be somewhere from light yellow to nearly black, and should prefer a dark leather color.—C. C. Miller.I should certainly expect them to show three well-developed yellow bands, but would prefer the dark, to the very light yellow queens.—C. H. Dibbern.If I "were buying Italian queens," I shouldexpectthem to be the color of Italians. I prefer such as are known as "leather-colored."—A. B. Mason.The color is not sure proof, but they should have three distinct yellow bands. They may be brown, light or dark, and still be Italians.—Mrs. J. N. Heater.Anywhere from a light yellow to a full black, and with all sorts of shades and markings between. Queens may be bred so as to be nearly uniform in color and markings, and the same brood, witha little difference in manipulation, will produce queens several shades darker.—J. A. Green.We do not care for color, if they have the yellow rings, and their workers are gentle and stay on the combs when we raise them out of the hive.—Dadant & Son.Yellow, or a dark brown color. However, in rare instances I have seen queens as dark as black queens produce fine 3-banded Italian bees.—Mrs. Jennie Atchley.If I were buying "Italian queens," and knew nothing of their mating, I would expect the three yellow bands, with the other Italian characteristics.—H. D. Cutting.I would have to depend on the advertisement of the breeder, and expect what he promised; it might be light or leather-colored, three or five banded.—S. I. Freeborn.Anywhere from nearly black to a nearly yellow abdomen, just in accord with their being reared from an imported queen, or the mother of 5-banded bees.—G. M. Doolittle.Italian queens vary from almost coal-black to almost golden yellow, and in purchasing many I should expect to get almost all shades of color between those two extremes.—R. L. Taylor.I should expect them to show a yellow abdomen all except the tip. But it is said on good authority that some of the imported Italian queens of undoubted purity are quite dark all over.—G. L. Tinker.Pure Italian queens vary very much in color from bright yellow to dark. Imported queens generally average darker than homebred. I have had some nearly as dark as some black queens.—J. P. H. Brown.I should prefer a dark strain, and would expect each worker to be marked with three yellow bands. I have never found the very bright yellow bees so good as gatherers, though usually very amiable.—A. J. Cook.Of at least three bands of golden yellow; with legs and lower part of the abdomen same color—balance, grayish black. The queen should show nearly the entire abdomen of orange yellow; though the shade varies greatly.—Will M. Barnum.I would expect them to have yellow or leather-colored abdomens, except perhaps some dark color at the tip.Stripesaround the abdomen is a sign of black blood. But sometimes pure Italian stock will show outcroppings of black blood, and this is often seen in nearly black queens, but such "outcrops" did do it when I reared queens for sale. Remember, the Italian is a "thoroughbred," not a pure-blood race.—G. W. Demaree.I should not care what the color would be. I have found very black queens give very light-colored workers, andvice versa. Nothing can be told in this direction from the color of the queen; the mating drone usually governs the color.—J. E. Pond.
Yellow.—E. France.
Yellow, of course.—Jas. A. Stone.
The color of Italian queens.—Eugene Secor.
At least three-banded.—J. M. Hambaugh.
Any color from yellow to dark leather color.—M. Mahin.
That depends upon what breeder you are buying from.—P. H. Elwood.
I should not anticipate. A leather-colored queen is satisfactory to me.—Mrs. L. Harrison.
Italians vary very much in color. It is hard to tell in a sentence, what color they should be.—Emerson T. Abbott.
The imported are dark, but American skill has bred them "doubtless pure" to a very bright yellow to the tip.—J. H. Larrabee.
I should expect them to be somewhere from light yellow to nearly black, and should prefer a dark leather color.—C. C. Miller.
I should certainly expect them to show three well-developed yellow bands, but would prefer the dark, to the very light yellow queens.—C. H. Dibbern.
If I "were buying Italian queens," I shouldexpectthem to be the color of Italians. I prefer such as are known as "leather-colored."—A. B. Mason.
The color is not sure proof, but they should have three distinct yellow bands. They may be brown, light or dark, and still be Italians.—Mrs. J. N. Heater.
Anywhere from a light yellow to a full black, and with all sorts of shades and markings between. Queens may be bred so as to be nearly uniform in color and markings, and the same brood, witha little difference in manipulation, will produce queens several shades darker.—J. A. Green.
We do not care for color, if they have the yellow rings, and their workers are gentle and stay on the combs when we raise them out of the hive.—Dadant & Son.
Yellow, or a dark brown color. However, in rare instances I have seen queens as dark as black queens produce fine 3-banded Italian bees.—Mrs. Jennie Atchley.
If I were buying "Italian queens," and knew nothing of their mating, I would expect the three yellow bands, with the other Italian characteristics.—H. D. Cutting.
I would have to depend on the advertisement of the breeder, and expect what he promised; it might be light or leather-colored, three or five banded.—S. I. Freeborn.
Anywhere from nearly black to a nearly yellow abdomen, just in accord with their being reared from an imported queen, or the mother of 5-banded bees.—G. M. Doolittle.
Italian queens vary from almost coal-black to almost golden yellow, and in purchasing many I should expect to get almost all shades of color between those two extremes.—R. L. Taylor.
I should expect them to show a yellow abdomen all except the tip. But it is said on good authority that some of the imported Italian queens of undoubted purity are quite dark all over.—G. L. Tinker.
Pure Italian queens vary very much in color from bright yellow to dark. Imported queens generally average darker than homebred. I have had some nearly as dark as some black queens.—J. P. H. Brown.
I should prefer a dark strain, and would expect each worker to be marked with three yellow bands. I have never found the very bright yellow bees so good as gatherers, though usually very amiable.—A. J. Cook.
Of at least three bands of golden yellow; with legs and lower part of the abdomen same color—balance, grayish black. The queen should show nearly the entire abdomen of orange yellow; though the shade varies greatly.—Will M. Barnum.
I would expect them to have yellow or leather-colored abdomens, except perhaps some dark color at the tip.Stripesaround the abdomen is a sign of black blood. But sometimes pure Italian stock will show outcroppings of black blood, and this is often seen in nearly black queens, but such "outcrops" did do it when I reared queens for sale. Remember, the Italian is a "thoroughbred," not a pure-blood race.—G. W. Demaree.
I should not care what the color would be. I have found very black queens give very light-colored workers, andvice versa. Nothing can be told in this direction from the color of the queen; the mating drone usually governs the color.—J. E. Pond.