THE Italian Bee is a native of the Alps, and was first imported to this country about the year 1860. The Italian being a native of mountainous regions and a high latitude, they were reported to be extremely hardy and vigorous. Those who were first to obtain them, were unanimous in their praise of the Italian bee, and fully agreed that it was superior to our native or black bee in very many respects. The good reputation which preceded the introduction of the bee to this country, by time and experience in their care, has been fully vindicated.
The pure Italian bees are superior to the natives in the following characteristics: They are more hardy and vigorous, withstanding our severe winters, with ordinary care, better than the natives; they are more industrious than the native bee, being very active in storing honey in cool, windy, or cloudy weather, such as keeps the native bees quiet in the hives.
The pure Italian, being larger and more vigorous than the natives, go greater distances to collect honey, and as they are larger, they carry more at a time, and being swifter of flight than the natives, they go the same distance in much quicker time. Then, too, the pure Italian bee is very beautiful, nearly the entire body being of a golden color, so that some of its admirers have given it the name of "golden bee." It is very mild in disposition, seldom offering to sting unless unreasonably irritated. They show great activity in protecting their hives from the bee moth, even when weak in numbers. They also show the same trait in defending their stores from the attacks of robber bees. When the native bees have come buzzing around a hive of Italians in search of plunder, I have seen an Italian dart from the hive like a bullet, and seizing a native, while on the wing, bear him to earth and dispatch him with a sting. This feat I never saw a native bee accomplish. Being larger than the natives they are able to reach the honey in the red clover, and many other flowers not accessible to our common bees, which makes an essential difference in the amount of honey collected.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth says of the Italian bees: "They gather more than twice as much honey in the same localities, in the same time, as the swarms of native bees."
I consider the pure Italian Bee a valuable and very desirable acquisition. I have furnished several of my lady friends with full colonies of them in Controllable Hives, and they have expressed themselves as very much pleased with their gentle disposition and great beauty.
I think the points of superiority here designated will be found in the pure Italian bee. Very many, who have purchased bees purporting to be Italians, have been grossly deceived, having received simply a native swarm of bees, the queen of which, a pure native, had been impregnated by a drone having a slight tinge of Italian blood; such stock was but very little, if any, better than a pure native swarm.
I find I can make an improvement, even in the pure Italian stock, by selecting queens for rearing to supply my full stocks and with eggs and drones, from such stocks as show the superior characteristics in the fullest degree. This course persevered in for a term of years will show marked results in the improvement of the desirable points of superiority found in the Italian bee.
I take great pride in my Italian bees. I believe they are as beautiful specimens of this variety as it is possible to produce, and possessing the characteristics of superiority of the Italians in the fullest degree. The points which I strive to cultivate and develop fully, are: Industry, mildness of disposition, beauty of color, vigor of constitution, etc.
I have here given in brief my views of the Italian bee, as I receive many letters of enquiry in regard to them. I base my statements on practical experience. I would advise all who wish to procure the Italian bees, to exercise great care in selecting them, and purchase only of those who are known to have pure stocks, for the best is the cheapest in the end, no matter if the first cost seems high. If the worth of the money is in the bees, the higher the price paid, the better you will be satisfied. But do not pay even a low price for inferior stock, for you will not be satisfied.
