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of the swarm of bees. On arrival, the buyer only has to take the box containing the queen, placing it in
the hive if it is a question of getting the queen accepted. The bees will find their own way to surround
the queen. In this way, the work is made easier. The bees do not escape. You can do this at any time
and you will not compromise the honesty of the seller or the competence of the buyer.
Races
There are a large number of races of bees, but only two are very widespread and deserve
attention: the indigenous and the Italian.
The indigenous race has a blackish-brown body; the Italian bee has two golden yellow bands
around the abdomen. The Italian bee has a longer tongue, she can visit more flowers. In years of poor
nectar flow, she has the advantage of the indigenous bee.
The Italian bee is more lively, more active, another quality which increases her productivity; but
does this liveliness increase her nastiness? No, not if she is treated as she should be, just as the
indigenous bee should be treated.
I even find the Italian bee to be more docile than the indigenous bee because she understands
quicker what the beekeeper demands of her with the puffs of smoke from the smoker.
And neither do I find that this liveliness of the Italian bee makes for more robbing, so that the
beekeeper at times has to reduce, as he should always do, the neighbouring hive entrances where the
colonies are weak.
The Italian bee is also more prolific, even without using stimulating nourishment that is so costly
and harmful. It is an important quality.
Occasionally I read that the terrible foulbrood is attributed to the Italian bee. What a mistake! On
the contrary, the Italian bee has all the qualities needed to fight this disease.
Apparently, we began to recognise foulbrood at the time when Italian bees were introduced. That
is possible, but it is also at the same time as the introduction of framed hives, where the bee wears
itself out to no purpose. It is at the same time that the methods that add to this exhaustion were
propagated. It is to bad framed hives and bad methods that we must attribute the development of
foulbrood. There are no causes for its origin other than overwork and enfeeblement of the stock.
During more than twenty-five years, I have studied the most widespread bee stocks. It is the
Italian race that I recommend to all beekeepers and it is of little import if they do not keep their racial
purity: it is not necessary if you are doing breeding.
In my opinion, the indigenous race suits beginners, because they will not have too much capital
outlay before proving their own capability. And I am of the opinion that the indigenous race would be
excellent if it was selected, as the Italian bee has been. And I must also warn beekeepers that lots of
breeders, if they make, on the one hand, a selection through choice of breeding colonies, through
another concern, they are, on the other hand, going against the selection that nature herself would have
made.
In a queenless colony, the bees raise between 10 and 15 queens. The queen who hatches first,
consequently the strongest, the most vigorous, will kill the others before they are born: it is a harsh
selection.
This selection would be too costly for breeders. They isolate the royal cells before they hatch.
They keep fifteen out of fifteen when nature would only keep one out of fifteen.
Nature even allows for selection at the time of the queen’s fertilisation. In order to be mated the
queen takes to the air and flies to a giddy height. Only the most vigorous male can reach her. If the