The Russellville Democrat., 1880-09-30
ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BEES.
Gathering Queens in Cyprus ana in the
 Hoy Lsnd.

Gathering Queens in Cyprus sna in tn.
 Hoy Lsnd.
 Nev York Sun.
 D. A. Jones, Amember of the Cana dian Parliament recently returned tc
 his home at Beeton, Ontario, from tho
 Island of Cyprus and the Holy Land His visit there was for the sole pupose | of procuring queen bees from .thest countries. His apiary in Beeton is very l large, and he has others in the United | States. He also has established an apiary in Iarnica. Cyprus, which is now in charge of MT. and Mrs. Frank Ben, ton. Writing from Palestine to friend in this city, MT. Jones says of his jour- ney T have been delighted with my 1 trip through these parts on account of 1 finding very superior race of bees-a race that feel sanguine, when tested, will prove boon ta. America, and as 1 am the first to import them, hope to get enough to America to get the race established there in purity. There ap- pears to be but one race of bees in the Holy Land, but they vary in color and in some other respects, and on this ac- count have procured some from almost every part. Those I obtained in the valley of Sharon, Jerusalem and all about the hills of Judea, east of Jordan and the Red Sea, were sent on mules, camels and asses to Jaffa, thence by steamer to the apiary at Larnica. Those l got on Mount Lebanon, in Herman, Damascus, and in fact in all the north ern part of Syria, were taken to the coast and shipped at Beyrout. Just ,,nu, { A r,ril 1EA 1 opn uatfinn a,py.Ixy from northeast of Damascus, near Pal myra. and they seem very fine. l have also received a number of bees from Prof. Cook, of Lansing, Mich, for exam ination under the microscope. In some localities they refuse to sell me bees. I have with me stock of small vials flied with alcohol, into each of which I place a few bees These excite the curiosity of the natives, and they watch my every movement. The dangers of to go to distant points, quite out of the ordinary routes, to carry out my object. If my losses are not too heavy, will surprise the beekeepers of America with this new race of bees. find it less difficult to secure bees here than it would be in ordinary seasons, as the I Syria last year, and starvation makes some more willing to sell thelr bees than they otheswise would be. If I ever get out safe from these tribes l will have no desire to return, even should l find superior race in some other To- cality. l Will hire the natives instead to come to me, and let them run the risk of having fine bees for me to select f~r,,1 apI ,1oxr fba,,, Sr,ah cy,,,,c oo xuiIl induce them to perform that work. In fact. it will be quite impossible to ever do more than to get few stocks to breed from, as the cost is so great In some instances each bee could not be got and laid down safely in America for less than $100. All have will surely aver age that sum
 Mir. Jones brought with him 200 hives. He placed them on exhibition in Lon- don before his departure for this coun- try. They 1ere viewed there by the Baroness Burdett- -Contts, Sir John Lub- book. Mir. Terry, of the British Museum and John Hunter of the Times
 Upon arriving in New York, MT. Jones said Notwithstanding I have gone to the antipodes for my pets, I can not safely pass any opinion upon them as vet. i am the first man in this coun- try who has collected Cyprian and Holy Land bees in their native abode, and comparatively little is known of them. The queens are strong, hearty bees, able to go long distances, and maintain their own against superior force. All that l may say further would be only con- lecture. It will take time to test the su- periority of their breed as honey pro- ducers over that of the Italian or Ligur- ian queens"
 Mir. A. H. K. Blood, of Massachusetts, was the first beekeeper that introduced Cyprian queens into the hives of this country. His were received three years ago from some friends travelling in the Holy Land. There were few in number Beekeepers who inspected them be- lieved that they promised much. Next year Fort Plaln beekeeper intro duced the Cyprans into his apiary, and they produced such results as to cause a sen ation among beekeepers and to lead to the trip of Mir. Jones. The Cyprian queen is lively and of very light yell low color under it's body. This often approaches straw color. She is fero- cious when attacked, and resists vehem- ently. Her workers are much more hardy than either the Itahan or the black bees. It is said that in Cyprus she will live for six years. The Italian queens existence is confined to three or four years. Her other points are yet to be tested. Her drones are superior to the Italian drones.