Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-09-24
FARM AND GARDEN.
The New Races Of Fees Lately Brought to
the United States from Asiat,e Turkey
Minor Topics.
Merits Of syrian Bees.


There will probably be as many
varieties OF bees In this country in q
few years as there are breeds of cattle
now, the latest importations beng
from Asiatic Turkey. OF two OF the
varieties OF bees from that country
Rev. III. Maxim, of New Castle, Ind,
writes to Ire american Bee Journal:
| have had Syrian and Holy Land bees
for the last three years, and / have
kept them side by side with Italians
1 have every reason To believe that
those from which bred were pure.
NV FIRST queens were pure themselves,
and were tertiliZed by pure droues.
These. | suppose, were Holy Land
queens proper, and not of the variety
to be found further north in Syria. OF
the latter variety | procured two
queens !! believe that they produce
pure Syrian bees. have now twenty
or more colonies of these Oriental
bees of different degrees of purity; the
most OF them seem to be pure, aud y
few are crossed with Italians and
blacks. rEE E#a. w
The first question that demands an
swer is, Are they productive? or, VIII
they pay? As | have said, l have now
kept them for three years, along with
Italians, treated IN every respect as
the latter were, and | have found
them every year more profitable than
fthe ltaliapSr While soiue Italian col
onies hayef done better than soane
Syrian colonies, the latter have av-
eraged higher in the amount Of honey
produced. Last season was, in this
locality, the worst since have kept
bees, aud did not get an ounce of
comb honey from any colony that was
not part syrian got q little ex-
tracied honey from few pure Italian
colonies. The superiority of the
Syrians over the Italians, for the last
two seasons, especially was un-
mistakabir. IA $50 fE#ft9 EeFtf
p The puzzle connected with the Syri-
ans is their temper. Ohe reports
them quite gentle and easily handled,
and another almost impract.eable ON
account OF a. cir crOSSness, and both
are right and both are wrong. When
undisturbed they are inclined to mind
their own business, aud let all the rest
of creation alone. As rule, one may
walk among the hives, or work in their
vicinity and be uudisturbed: | think
that under these conditions they are
less incl ned TO sting than Italians.
When they are gathering honey, even
at moderate rate, they are very east
~ handled il one knows how To man
age them. Last summer / handled
mine generally without using any
smoke; sometimes 4 lighted the smo-
Enp IL, H.. 4
1t if Ishouldg want it, but ! seldom
used it. AT other times | opened the
hives and took out sections or combs
for extracting, without having the
smoker lighted at all, and without be-
ing stung. But did not dare to han
die Italians in that way. | can han
die Syrians more rapidly than Italians,
especially if The bees are to be re-
moved from the combs; they are far
more easily dislodoed.
In handling Syrians, smoke is of
very little use. A little is sometimes
Gseful to keep them from Rushing out
when the hive is first opened; hut if
theyA become. angry smOke.1mill not
subdue them. The best thing TO be
done in that case, il there is no dan
open and go away from it for a time,
when they will get over their excite
ment, and with proper care the need
ed operations can be performed, But
there are exceptions to this, as 10
nearly all other rules IN the art Of bee
management. In 1883 my Syrians
were as easily handled in fall, as well
"a in summer, as the Italians; but not
so in 1884. In the late autumn of this
year it was difficult to handle some
colonies that early in the season
were very gentle. After trial of a
little more than three years am pre-
pared to say that, en- the whole. / lind
the temper of the Syrians unobjec-
tionablc.
In prolificness the SyrIans certainly
excel. Che colonies build up in the
spring and early summer with won-
derful rapidly. and while the queens
are very prolific, and require good
SIZED brood-chambcr, they are not
much inclined to swarm. One of my
queens has kept her hive blooming"
with bees for more than two years,
and there has been no attempt ut
swarming. have given .hem plenty
of roOm in which To store honey, and
they have been content to stay at
home and work. 1t has been said
that Syrian queen will continue to
lay as long rs there Is a drop of honey
in the hive. but this is a great mistake,
When the honey harvest ceases breed
ing ceases; but winter generally finds
the hives well stocked with bees, and,
as they winter well. they are apt to be
in good condition to resume business
in the spring.
AS 10 the quality of tho honey stor-
ed by the SyrIans, | sec no difference
between it and that stored by the
Italians. Their honey is always thick
and heavy, never being sealed until il
is thoroughly ripened; their comb is,
in general, like that Of the Italians in
appearance Perhaps two of my colo
MES make dark looking comb honey,
the caps fitting down smoothly on the
honey, and being so thin that it shows
through; but | have had Italians do
the same thing. ...-
Syrian queens mated with Italian
drones produce very fine bees. In
temper they resemble the Syrians more
than the Italians. ana they are very
fine workers. have some colonies
half Syrian and half black; these re-
gard as more desirable than the cross
between the Italians and blacks, be-
cause they are ms good workers and
are less yicious--at least i have found
them so thus far; but my experience
with them is limited.
The mos! beautiful bees that have
are the progeney of an Italian queen
and Syrian drone. The silyer-gray
hairs of the Syrians on the beautiful
golden color of the Italians has very
pleasing effect. They have had no
opportunity, as yet, to exhibit their
qualities rs workers. For qIeen-rear-
ing the Syrians are greatly superior
to the Italians; they build more queen
cells, feed the young queens better,
and so rear better queens.