Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-06-09

arisen among bee keepers IN regard TO the
bees of Cyprus. These large, pugnacious.
and fierce insects are said to be able to
resist the bee moths and robbers of
their own kind, also to possess greater
powers of flight, and the ability to make
and store away much more honey than
any other bee. The following letter from
a Canadian gentleman, sent to and pub
lished in the Witness, from Palestine, near
the Dead sea, gives some interesting par
ticulars in regard to the bees of Cyprus,
and those Of Palestine as WE'LL The
writer, Mr.. d. A. Jones, tells his story
thus:
~ left Canada the beginning of winter.
and after visiting the principal bee keepers
and aparies Of Europe, as well rs the
editors of the various bee journals, land
ed in Africa and examined the Egy ptian
bee. | next sailed to the island of Cyprus
and after procuring guides, mules, mu-
letters and interpreters, made journey
through the island, procured all the hives
| could, and started n bee farm at Larnica,
the principal port on the island. By the
way, might here mention that l took a
Mr.. Benton, a tirst-class queen raiser
and bee keeper, from the agricultural
college in Michigan to take charge of the
apiary there and raise and ship queens to
me in Canada after | return home. |
found great difficulty in procuring the
bees, as the ignorance and superstition of
the natives is so great, that, IN many in
stances, both money and words failed to
convince them that their future welfare
did not depend on their refusing to sell
their hives, and after leaving them they
sometimes fumigated their bees and bee
ward with the smoke of some sacred bones
to drive away the evil and witchcrait that
| had been practicing on them. | found
some parties destitute of food, and on one
occasion bought fifty calines where the
parties had been living on herbs OF various
kinds for weeks and as | advanced them
sovereign, it was immediately dispatched
for food, and the mother remarked that
God had sent me there to relieve their
suiferngs, and she hoped the good God
would watch after me. will have from
two to three hundred cairfes there at Lar
MICA in short time, but | find it very
expensive carrying calines of bees thirty,
forty and sometimes sixty miles over the
mountains on mule and camel backs, as
the roads there Can only be travelled In
that way. except the one the English gov
ernment made to Nicosia.
The Cyprian bees have proved them
selves to be far superior to our bees of
America, and | have already received
large number of orders from some of the
best bee keepers of Europe. Even the
Italians of Italy are getting them to i'm
prove the Italian bees of their country.
The Cyprian bees are pure and distinct
race, having been confined to the island
for perhaps thousands of years, and isola
ted from all other races. They breed much
earlier in spring and later in the fall and
winter, far better than any European bee
or our American and Canadian varieties.
| They fly much further to gather honey
and fly switer than our bees, and protect
their stores with such determination that
moths and other enemies of the bees can
not iniure them. They build more worker
comb and less drone comb than our bees,
and are less inclined to raise drones.
They are very judcious about flying ont
in spring in bad weather, and seem to give
more attention to early brooding. They
have reddish golden shield running
across the back between the wings, which
is partially covered by the long hair
around it, and the underside of the abdo-
men is very light golden color, almost
to the tip. which is darker. have no
time to give you further description OF
them now, rs wish to say a little about
the bees of the Holy Land,and our animals
are about ready to start. left Mr.. Ben
ton to see after my Cyprus apiary and
complete my arrangements for starting
/. back to America with large number of
bees, and am making flying trip
through Palestine and Syria to examine
the bees of this country. | have not had
experience enough with them to give an
opinion, but have been SO favorably i'm
pressed with them that | have decided to
: import large number of the bees, which
are called here by the natives holy bees.
That they are pure variety there is no
question in my mind. believe they have
been here from the foundation of the world
, in all probability without being mixed
with any other race. They are similar in
, some respects to the Cyprian bees espe-
cially in being able to fly long distances
from their hives. | have found them in
some sections, where the pasture was poor
near their homes and good far away,
gathering honey an incredible distance
from their hives, in one instance more
than double the distance our bees fly.
have secured number from different
J localities. and intend to secure some from
all the different points where am favora-
bly, impressed with them, or rather from
points varying from fifty to one hundred
miles apart, so if there is any difference
can have the best. secured some at
Jerusalem and places in Judea, some from
Mount Lebanon, some from Damascus,
some west of the Jordan and Dead sea,
and other places. send them all across
the country on mules and camels TO the
Mediterranean, and by steamer to Cyprus,
: where they are prepared for their long
| journey to Canada"