BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The hands may be protected by india-rubber gloves, such as are now in common use. These gloves, while impenetrable to the sting of a bee, do not materially interfere with the operations of the Apitarian. As soon, however, as the bee-keeper acquires confidence and skill, he will much prefer to use nothing but the bee-hat, even at the expense of an occasional sting on his hands. If the hands are wet with honey, they will seldom be stung.
Woolen gloves are objectionable, as everything rough or hairy has an extremely irritating influence upon bees. This is probably owing to the fact that, in a state of nature, bears, foxes, and other hairy animals, are their principal enemies. No sooner do they feel the touch of anything rough or hairy, than they dart out their stings.
Butler says : "They use their stings against such things as have outwardly some offensive excrement, such as hair or feathers, the touch whereof provoketh them to sting. If they alight upon the hair of the head or beard, they will sting if they can reach the skin. When they are angry, their aim is most commonly at the face, but the bare hand, that is not hairy, they will seldom sting, unless they be much offended."
## Chapter Xix.
the Italian ionet-beek.
Arisottle speaks of three different species of the honeybee, as well known in his time. The _best variety_ he describes as "\(\mulpha\mulpha\), \(arepsilon au
ho\gamma\gamma\dot{lpha}\dot{\gamma}\dot{lpha}\) _can_\(\mulpha\dot{\gamma}\)"--that is, small and round in size and shape, and variegated in color.
Virgil (_Georgicon_, lib, IV., 98) speaks of two kinds as flourishing in his time; the better of the two, he thus describes:
egin{tabular}{l} Elucent alia, et fulgore corpuscular, \ Ardentes auro, et paribus lita corpoca guttis. \ Hae potor soboles; h hine coli tennpore certo \ Dulela mella premes." \ \end{tabular}
The better variety, it will be seen, he characterizes as spotted or variegated, and of a beautiful golden color.
The attention of bee-keepers has recently been called to this variety of the honey-bee, which, after the lapse of more than two thousand years, still exists distinct and pure from the common kind. The following letter from Mr. Wagner will show the importance attached to this species, by some of the most skillful and successful Apariarians in Europe :
"York, Pa., August 5, 1856.
"Mr bear Sir --The first account we have of the Italian bees, as a distinct raee or variety, is that given by Capt. Baldenstein, in the _Bienenzeitung_, 1848, p. 26.* Being stationed in
## The Italian Bee.
Italy, during part of the Napolconie wars, lie noticed that the bees, in the Lombardo-Yenesian district of Valtellin, and on the borders of Lake Como, differed in color from the common kind, and seemed to be more industrious. At the close of the war, he retired from the army, and returned to his ancestral castle, on the Rhatian Alps, in Switzerland; and to ocevpy his leisure, had recourse to bee-culture, which had been his favorite hobby in earlier years. While studying the natural history, habits, and instinets of these insects, he remembered what he had observed in Italy, and resolved to procure a colony from that country. Accordingly, he sent two men thither, who purchased one, and carried it over the mountain, to his residence, in September, 1843.
"In May, 1847, this colony, the queen of which had never failed to produce genuine Italian breed, began to show signs of weakness, but suddenly recovered in the following month ; and it was evident that it had supplied itself with a new queen, which had fortunately been impregnated by an Italian drone, as she produced genuine, or pure brood. On the 15th of May, 1848, this queen issued with a swarm, and he hoped that, as he had placed the parent-hive in a rather isolated location, her successor would be impregnated by an Italian drone. But in this, he was doomed to disappointment; she produced a bastard progeny, while the emigrant queen produced genuine brood, as before. Similar disappointments awaited him from year to year; and in June, 1851, he possessed only one colony of the pure stock.
"Among the points which he considered as definitely established, by his observations on the Italian bee, are the following : 1. The queen, if healthy, retains her proper fertility at least three or four years. 2. The Italian bee is more industrious, and the queen more prolifle, than the common kind ; because, in a most unfavorable year, when other colonies produced few swarms and little honey, his Italian colony produced three swarms, which filled their lives with comb, and, together with the parent-stock, laid up ample stores for Winter; the latter yielding, besides, a box well filled with honey. The three young colonies were among the best in his Apiary. 3. The workers do not, at most, live longer than one year; for, though the bee and brood in theparent-hive, when the first swarm and old queen left, were of the Italian stock exclusively, flew of this kind remained in the Fall, and none survived. the Winter...4. The young queen is impregnated soon after she is established in a colony, and continues fertile during life..Were this not so, the genuine queen would not have continued to produce pure brood during those seven successive years. - 6, The queen leaves the hive to meet the drones. If not, it would severely have happened, that all the young queen had in those seven years, with only one exception, were impregnated. by common drones, and produced a lastard progeny. 6. The old queen regularly leaves with the first swarm, or the genuine Italian brood would not invariably have been the product of the swarm, but occasionally, at least, of the parent colony, which never happened in all that time.
" These observations and inferences impelled Dzieron--who had previously ascertained that the cells of the Italian and common bees were of the same size--to make an effort to procure the Italian bee; and, by the aid of the Austrian Agricultural Society at Vienna,* he succeeded in obtaining, late in February, 1853, a colony from Mira, near Venice. On the following day, he transferred the eombs and bees into one of his own hives, and, when the season opened, placed the hive on a stand in his Apiracy, and screwed it fast, that it might not be stolen. He never moved it during the ensuing Summer, but, took from it combs with worker and drone-brood, at regular intervals, supplying their place with empty eombs. In this way, he succeeded in rearing nearly fifty young queens, about one-half of which were impregnated by Italian drones, and produced genuine brood. The other half produced a basatard progeny. He continued, thus to multiply queens by the removal of brood, till the parent-atock, and several of his artificial colonies, suddenly killed off, their drones, on the 35th of June. The bees of the original colony still labored very assiduously, but The Italian here
The 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.\({}^{\dagger}\)
The Baron of Berlepsch 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,
Disperson guarded against this, by giving to a very large colony, which evidently produced drones in great numbers, a fertile queen very early in the season. The 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-proof from other colonies. On the twelfth day following, he heard a young queen 'leading?' in the parent blue and, to his surprise, a large swarm issued from it on the same day, though the weather was then cool and cloudy. This warm came forth suddenly, without any previous indication of its tutention, just as after-swarms usually do. On a similar day, Dzierzon says, he had never seen a first swarm of common bees leave. So cold was the weather, that some of the bees became chilled before the swarm was hired. As the swarm was manually large, he divided it into two, as he was able to preroute an additional queen from the parent blue. Both thirrere well, and each of the queens was impregnated by an Italian drone. From this occurrences, he judged that these bees have an Institute specificity to swarm early. Our common kind would have lingered long, rather than'swarm in weather so cold and obody,"--8, Wagner.
If, at the time when roster queens are emerging, the bees and drones be tempted to sally out earlier than usual in the day, hours before the common drones come forth, by feeding them with diluted honey, the perpetation of the genuine breed will the more probably be secured. But this end will the most certainly be attained, if measures are taken to have Italian queens and drones bred early in the season, before the common drones make their appearances; and again latto, after the latter have been 'killed off.' This may readily be done by the improved hive, and the application of cardiac known principles in be-cultura."--8, Warsaw.
That the Italian been are less sensitive to cold than the common kind. 9. That their queens are more prolific. 3. That the colonies swarm earlier and more frequently, though of this he has less experience than Dixierzon. 4. That they are less apt to sing.. Not only are they less apt, but scarcely are they inclined to sing, though they will do so if intentionally annoyed or irritated. 8. That they are more industrious. Of this fact he had but one.Summer's experience, but all the results and indications go to confirm Dixierzon's statements, and satisfy him of the superiority of this kind in every point of view. 6. That they are more disposed to rob than common bees, and more courageous and active in self-defence. They strive on all hands to force their way into colonies of common bees; but when strange bees attack their hives, they fight with great fiereness, and with an incredible adroitness.* "From one Italian queen sent him by Dixierzon, Berlepeech succeeded in obtaining, in the ensuing season, one hundred and thirty-nine fertile young queens, of which number about fifty produced pure Italian progeny.+ "Busch (_Die Houtig-biene_, Goth, 1855) describes the Italian bee as follows: 'The workers are smooth and glossy? and the color of their abdominal rings is a medium between the pale yellow of straw and the deeper yellow of ochre. These rings have a narrow black edge or border, so that the yellow. (which might The Italian Bee.
be called leather-colored) constitutes the ground\({}_{i}\) and is seemingly barred over by these slight black edges, or borders. This is most distinctly perceptible when a broad-eombi\({}_{i}\) on which bees are densely crowded, is taken out of a hive. The drones differ-from the workers in having the upper half of their abdominal rings black, and the lower half an oehry-yellow, thus causing the abdomen, when viewed from above, to appear annulated. The queen differs from the common kind chiefly in the greater brightness and brillianey of her colors.'
Otio Radlikofer, Jr., of Munich, in a communication to the _Biennezeitung_, says that a colony of Italian bees, which he transferred in February, began to build new eomb before the middle of March, while his common bees had not, at the date of his communication (the last of April), begun to build any new eomb, \({}^{i}\) Not only\({}_{j}\) says Mr. Radlikofer, \({}^{i}\) are the Italian bees distinguished by an earlier-wakened impulse to activity and labor, but they are remarkable also for the sedulous use they make of every opening flower, visiting some on which common bees are seldom or never seen. They have also demonstrated their superior agility in self-defence \({}_{j}\) may, they would not tolerate the presence of other bees on comb that had been strewed with flour for their common use. In all these respects, the palm of superiority must be awarded to the Italian bee.'
\({}^{64}\) Considerable difficulty has been encountered, even by experienced Apiarians, in inducing a colony of common bees, deprived of its queen, to accept an Italian queen in its stead\({}_{3}\) and many failures have occurred, involving the loss of the offered queen, and causing grievous disappointment. The safest course appears to be, to remove the queen several days before the substitution in intended to be made, and to destroy all the royal cells and embryo queens the day before the Italian queen is introduced. At the time of her introduction, the comba should again be thoroughly examined; and, if any more royal cells have been started, they must likewise be destroyed. The Italian queen should be placed in a cage for her protection, and a small quantity of pure honey in open cells should be put in the cage. The conduct of the workers will speedily show whether and when they will receive her. Mr. Lange advises that the Italian queen be introduced immediately after the bees of a deprived colony manifest undoubted consciousness of the loss they have sustained, and before they have started any royal cells, or made arrangements for doing so.--Yours truly, Samuel Wagner.[79]
The chief obstacle to the rapid diffusion of this valuable variety has been the difficulty experienced by the ablest German Apiarians in preserving the breed pure, even Berlepsch having failed entirely to do so. By means of my _non-severmer_, however, this difficulty may be readily overcome.
Let the bee-keeper who obtains an Italian queen in the Spring, give her, with proper precautions (p, 200), to a populous colony, whose hive is well furnished with drone-combs, having first deprived it of its queen. When the drone cells are filled with sealed brood, let _nuclei_ (p. 189) be formed from this stock, and replace the combs removed, with others containing workers ready to hatch. By thus keeping the parent-stock always populous, a large number of nuclei may be formed from it. Just before the young Italian queens mature, adjust the nonswarmer (Plates II, V, Figs. 5, 17) to all the hives containing common drones, so as to _shut them in_, while free egress is given to queens and workers. As only the drones bred by the Italian queen have their liberty, all the young females will be fertilized by them. As fast as the queens of the nuclei become fertile, they may be given to the various stocks, and from these, in a short time, other nuclei which will raise Italian queens, may be formed. In this way, an expert, who can be sure of having Italian drones until late in the season, might easily convert an Apiary of a thousand or more hives into stocks containing none but the new variety.
The Italian Bee.
To secure the requisite number of drones, part of the Italian drone-broad should be given to some of the nuclei, so that, in case the parent-stock kills its drones, others may be on hand. If the Apiarian removes the queen from this colony before the drones are killed, the bees will tolerate their presence much longer. The same object may also be accomplished by liberal feeding as soon as natural forage fails (p. 224).
Dzierzon found that a queen which had been _refigerated_ for a long time, after being brought to life by warmth, laid only male eggs, whilst previously she had also laid female eggs. Berlepsch refrigerated three queens by placing them thirty-six hours in an ice-house,* two of which never revived, and the third laid, as before, thousands of eggs, but _from all of them only males aere cooked_. In two instances, Mr. Mahan has, at my suggestion, tried similar experiments, and with like results. It does not seem to have occurred to the German Apiarians _that by this refrigerating process we may secure as many Italian drones as we need._ All that is necessary is to convert by it one or more of the queens of the nuclei into _drone-layers_. The reception of an Italian queen quite late in the season may, thus be turned to good account.
If the Apiarian is in the vicinity of hives to which he cannot apply the non-swarmer, it will be necessary for him to seek some place where the common drones cannot interfere with his proceedings. Unless the breed is kept pure, the advantages proposed by its introduction cannot be secured.
Italian queens may be safely sent in my hives to any part of the country. A hive for this purpose should be made to hold only one comb, which ought to be _old_ and very securely fastened. Into such a hive, suitably provisioned, an Italian queen may be introduced, with a few hundred bees to keep her company, and, if sufficient ventilation is given, with a little water daily, they will bear a journey of many days. If received at a season unsuitable for rearing new queens, she may be given to some strong colony and reserved for future operations.
It is hardly necessary to say, that a species of the honey-bee so much more productive than the common kind, and so much less sensitive to cold, will be of very great value to all sections of our country.* Its superior docility would make it worthy of high regard, even if in other respects it had no peculiar merits. Its introduction into this country will, it is confidently believed, constitute a new era in bee-keeping, and impart an interest to its pursuit which will enable us, ere long, to vie with any part of the world in the production of honey.
## Chapter 3 Size of Hives.
Notwithstanding the almost innumerable experiments which have been made to determine the best size, shape, and materials for bee-hives, the ablest practical Apiafians are still at variance on these points. In most districts in this country, it is pretty generally agreed that hives holding less than a bushel, in the main apartment, are not profitable in the long run. As regards, however, the size, both of the main hive and the apartments for spare honey, so much depends on seasons and localities, and on whether the bees swarm or not, that no rule, applicable to all cases, can be given. Every bee-keeper must determine these questions by reference to the honey-resources of his own district. As the plan of my hives admits of their being enlarged and again contracted, without destruction or alteration of existing parts, the size, either of the main hive or surplus storage room, may be varied at pleasure. Being able to remove any surplus, I prefer to make the interior of my hives considerably larger than a bushel. Many hives cannot hold one-quarter of the bees, comb, and honey which, in a good season, may be found in my large hives; while their owners wonder that they obtain so little profit from their bees. A good swarm of bees, put, in a good season, into a diminutive hive, may be compared to a powerful team of horses harnessed to a baby wagon, or a noble fall of water wasted in turning a petty water-wheel.
A hive _tall_ in proportion to its other dimensions, has some obvious advantages; for, as bees are disposed to. 380 the alive and honey-like.
carry their stores as far as possible from the entrance, they will fill its upper part with honey, using the lower part mainly for brood, thus escaping the danger of being caught, in cold weather, among empty ranges of comb, while they still have honey unconsumed. If the top of this hive, like that of an old-fashioned churn, is made (on the Polish plan) considerably smaller than the bottom, it will be better adapted to a cold climate, besides being more secure against high winds. Such a hive is deficient in top-surface for the storing of honey in boxes, and it would be impossible to use frames* in it to any advantage; but, to those who prefer to keep bees on the old plan,! one of this shape, made to hold not less than a bushel and a half, is decidedly the best.
A hive long from _front_ to _rear_, and moderately low and narrow, seems, on the whole, to unite the most advantages. Such a hive resembles a tall one, laid upon its side, and, while affording ample top-surface for surplus honey, it greatly facilitates the handling of the frames, besides diminishing their number and cost.
* The deeper the framing, the more difficult it is to make them hang _true_ on the rabbits, and the greater the difficulty of handling them without crushing the bees or breaking the comb.
+ It is instructive to see how the very first departure from the olden way proves the truth, in bee-culture at least, of the backhered quotation:
* A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.*
Even so simple an improvement as that of top-boxes will, as used by many, eventually destroy their bees; for, while in favorable years such boxes may be safely removed, in others the surplus honey which they contain, is the life of the bees.
* Mr, M. Q. Staibry, of 8a, Joinerville, New York, in calling my attention to some stocks, which he had purchased in box drives of this shape, informed me that bees witnessed in them about as well as in tall hive, the bees drawing _back_ among their stores in cold weather, just as in tall hives they draw up among them. My hive, as at first constructed, was fourteen and one-elighth inches from front to vast, eighteen and one-elighth inches from side to side, and nine inches deep, holding twelve frames. After Mr, Quinby called my attention to the vibrating of bees In his long box-driven, I constructed one that measured twenty-four inches from front to rear, twelve inches from side to side, and ten inches deep, holding eight frames.
The common Dzieron hive* is long and flat, but, as the comba run fom side to side, instead of from front to rear, the bees, unless the hive is uncommonly well protected, will suffer from cold in Winter. As the German Aparian use slats instead of frames, it would be inconvenient for him to remove any very long comba from his hive.
The variety of opinions respecting the best _materials_ for hives, has been almost as great as on the subject of their proper size and shape. Columella and Virgil recommend the hollowed trunk of the _cork tree_, than which no material would be more admirable if it could only be cheaply proeured. Strnw hives have been used for ages, and are warm in Winter and cool in Summer. The difficulty of making them take and retain the proper shape for improved bee-keeping, is an insuperable objection to their use. Hives made of wood are, at the present time, fast superseding all others. The _lighter_ and more _spongy_ the wood, the poorer will be its power of conducting heat, and the warmer the hive in Winter and the cooler in Summer.+ Cedar, bass-wood, poplar, tulip-tree, and soft pine, afford excellent materials for bee-hives. The Aparian must be governed, in his choice of lumber, by the cheapness with which any suitable kind can be obtained in his own immediate vicinity.
A serious disadvantage attaching to all kinds of wooden hives, is the ease with which they conduct heat, ensuing them to become cold and damp in Winter; and, if exposed to the sun, so hot in Summer as often to melt the combs. The Winter inconveniences are greatly increased if the hives are well painted, while, if this is neglected, they cannot ordinarily be exposed to sun or weather without serious injury.*
To make the movable-comb hives to the best advantage, the frames at least should be cut out by a circular saw, driven by steam, water, or horse-power. In buildings where such saws are used, the frames may be made from the small pieces of lumber, seldom of any use, except for fuel, and may be packed almost solid in a box, or in a hive which will afterwards serve for a pattern. One frame in such a box; properly nailed together, will serve as a guide for the rest. The other parts of the hive can easily and cheaply be made by any one who can handle tools, and can never be profitably manufactured to be sent far, unless made where lumber is cheap, and the parts closely packed, to be put together after reaching their destination.